Okay, so I’m posting this a few days late: had to catch up on DVR recordings.

My wife and I were very surprised, and quite pleased, to see the song “Shout to the Lord” by Darlene Zschech of Hillsong performed on American Idol by the remaining contestants as a group.

They actually did the song twice, once on their “Idol Gives Back” event (with the word “Shepherd” substituted for “Jesus” and then again on the results show, with the word “Jesus” intact.

Jesus-free version:

Full of Jesus:

Hat Tip: Fred McKinnon.

I’d like to thank all of my faithful readers. I’ve looked at my statistics and seen that many of you still visit even though I have not posted in a couple of months. I apologize for vanishing for a bit, but I’m coming back and will have a bit more explanation later. In summary, this is what has occurred in the last few months:

1. Still working on my M.Div.
2. Learning Ruby On Rails for a new blog and a new project that I think you’ll all like (and I’m sorry for not keeping up with the Bumpzee group. Casey, if you’re still reading, would you like it?).
3. We had a baby in December. That makes two children each with a December birthday.

   Expect more soon, but I’d like your feedback: what is is that you, as Christian bloggers, are missing? What will help you to get your message out?

   Also, since I’ve been away, I’ve noticed a lot more blog spam. Is this because this blog became not active, or is it a trend across all blogs lately?

Oprah has influence over millions of viewers, but when she gets an important point wrong, some are quick to correct her. Listen to the applause from the audience directed toward the guests attempting to explain the Gospel. Not surprisingly, Oprah chose to disengage from the conversation.

Note that she mentions “generosity” as a virtue. I suppose that’s why she gives her audience members so many gifts.

I finally watched The 1/2 Hour News Hour which airs late Sunday nights on the Fox News Channel. It’s like the Daily Show, but with a conservative slant. The following was particularly relevant to my recent posts regarding atheist book authors:

An article refuting many of the claims made by Sam Harris in his books The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reasonand Letter to a Christian Nationcan be found in the latest edition of Biola Connections, the alumni magazine of Biola University. The article, with contributions by Christian scholars Douglas Geivett and William Lane Craig, can be found online here. A pdf of the entire issue can be found here.