Perhaps a “religious digital creative” is someone who for religious purposes “creatively” converts others’ print medium words into ones own social media words.

“what constitutes a religious digital creative?”

Definitely not someone who plagiarizes.

Copycats are not creatives. They’re impersonators or posers or mimics or apes or even fans. But not creators/creatives.

(Sorry, Professor Campbell, to have to disagree with your assessment.)

GMFS Part 1 of 2: Astronomical foties

I’m intrigued by the fotie at the top of the post today. I’m assuming we’re still on the astronomical theme, so this must be the Leggings With Tennis Shoes Nebula.

There are times when an astronomical feature looks curiously reminiscent of something else (e.g., the Horsehead Nebula is shaped a bit like a horse’s heid), but this one is extraordinarily realistic.

GMFS Part 2 of 2: Cricket

All Wartburgers, especially the surrealist chatbot ones, will be eagerly awaiting news of the Third Test which began this morning in Port Elizabeth. England won the toss and batted, and have started cautiously, reaching 30 without loss after 13 overs. This is very slow scoring, but OTOH, an opening stand in double figures is good by England’s recent standards.

GMFS Part 3 of 2: JavaScript

I’ve encountered a bizarre bug in my first wee javascript project whereby objects are leaking data between one function and the next. I think it may be something about the way JavaScript handles json.

GMFS Part 4 of 2: A bit of extra sporting inspiration

In the last week or so I’ve really got into following the Talisker Atlantic Challenge, which is an annual rowing race – across the Atlantic Ocean. While the route isn’t a full continent-to-continent, going from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean, it’s still a great-circle distance of some 2500 nautical miles* and in practice most boats complete a course-over-ground of 2700 or more. Wind, swell and currents all play a part. Anyway, have a wee shufty at https://www.taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com/2019-race-tracking/ if emdy’s interested. The first two boats have finished; both have crews of four, which seems to be the fastest combination. There are also fives, trios, pairs and solos, and the next finishers – the leading trio – some 40 nm from the finish at the time of writing and expected to finish at around 22 o’clock today UTC.

IHTIH

* AWWBA, a nautical mile (or nm for short, not to be confused with nanometers which are also abbreviated to nm – Wartburgers are advised to be aware of context) was originally defined as the distance represented by one minute of arc around a circle of longitude. Because not all great circles are of precisely equal length, it has been standardised at 1852 metres or about 1.15 ordinary (or “statute”) miles. For comparison, a nanometer is around ten times the diameter of an atom; it doesn’t take long to row this distance.

I’d say 9/10 pastors in the family of churches I’m a part of unknowingly consider themselves an Instagram influencer. Copying & posting inspirational quotes day after day with Bible verses and hardly ever posting legitimate photos they take. It’s annoying, cliche, and have never considered them to be an “influencer” until this post. This Dale guy looks to be pretty uncreative himself, so thanks for the post.

Another New Calvinist turned bad … joining a long line of “influencers” from that tribe who have wreaked havoc in the American church. Rebellious and immature, these young reformers are capable of anything. Anybody who would quote John Piper is obviously not thinking clearly, let alone plagiarize the Pied Piper’s words as his own!

I’ve run across Partridge on CBN while scrolling through TV channels looking for old western movies. He has a program called “Faithwire – Faith vs. Culture” where he comes across as an expert on all things related to cultural trends and Christianity. He can talk the bones off a chicken. I prefer watching John Wayne.

Samuel Conner: Perhaps a “religious digital creative” is someone who for religious purposes “creatively” converts others’ print medium words into one’s own social media words.

These young reformers reach star-status in social media by one-liner tweets which can be retweeted across cyberspace. After a while, it must be tough coming up with retweetable-quality words that your audience depends on; thus, the temptation to “borrow” from another to keep the presses rolling.

His Twitter reads like a bad bot. Which is probably what it is.

I wonder if he’s mentally ill and really believes this stuff is his? His sad-about-leggings wife should take him for a mental evaluation. If he even tried to be subtle about his stealing, I’d be more inclined to think he was like your average-grade sermon-stealing megapastor or church consultant, but he’s way too obvious about what he’s stealing.

How many times have we heard a “marketing phrase” something alone the line; “ I/we have the “true” way to “do” “church/Christianity”?

Partridge’s love of leggings was weighing “heavy on my heart,” she wrote on her self-named blog.

Pastor’s widows are eating out of dumpsters and the Big Theological Question is LEGGINGS?
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM if there ever was one.

Surprised love of leggings wasn’t “grieving the Holy Spirit”; that was a Tsk-Tsk term used during my time in-country.

ishy: If he even tried to be subtle about his stealing

This has big time “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – wayne gretzky” – Michael Scott” energy…

I’d say a digital creative [person] is a person who creates digital art that is religiously themed. Digital art is created in digital media rather than with a physical substance.

If you go to sites like fineartamerica and search for the medium digital art you’ll find that there is a lot of digital art being created. My suspicion is that the supply is like that of poetry – the supply outstrips the demand. Some of it is good. Sturgeon’s law applies as always. (A science fiction author, he observed “Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That’s because 90% of everything is crud.”) In the religious digital art, the crud tends more toward triteness and/or clipart/primitive cartoon quality art work than it does in other subject/themes I have explored.

Many of the images at the sevenly causes page fall quite comfortably into the mass portion of the religious digital art I have looked at on art websites

Lea,

“Yoga pants are just pants. Leggings are pants. Everybody needs to calm down.”
++++++++++++++++

if christians spent time participating at nudist colonies, that would be helpful.

Home churches are not necessarily “the solution” for the churches in America. I was part of one in the late ’80’s-early ’90’s and for me, it did not work. I think the reason it didn’t work was because the church I was with broke into house churches for two reasons: 1. As a reaction against an over-controlling group of churches we were part of, and 2. We had bought a building many years ago that we couldn’t afford, counting on an increase in members to pay for it. (They called it “living by faith.”) I also don’t think we had the spiritual maturity to make the house churches work. If you are going to have a group of believers meet together, you need to have people who are grounded in the Scriptures and have the wisdom to teach it.

When the house churches started, there were about six of them. By the time my husband and I moved to another city, there were three groups left, and the group we had been with stopped meeting together the week after we moved. I also do not think it’s an accident that at least five couples I knew that had been involved with the house church movement we were with have been divorced (including the man whose idea it was in the first place.)

House churches can work. This is how believers in some countries meet. But to sell it as “the solution” just isn’t wise.

Muff Potter,
Attending 8-12 fundy school, and spending part of those years at a GARBC church, I understand…..
The male leaderships in fundagelicals tends to be fixated on sex, and how the female body tempts us men, and how any “unpure” thoughts is equivalent to having sex with the women/girls.
Any time humans “obsess” on something, it gets “blown out of proportions”… and it just makes things worse…
while fundagelicals would not admit it, they really are Pharisees in practice…so tight pants, or now leggins, are just another way to differentiate “holly from heathen”

MuffPotter: I don’t think I’ll ever understand why leggings are such a big deal with fundagelicals.

It’s weird because they cover you completely and are often no tighter than jeans?

All I can figure is that people started talking about yoga pants being ‘hot’ years ago and this morphed into some crazy fear of them. It’s dumb.

Wait a minute…I remember we kids where hearing back in the SatanicPanic, if you played a record backwards, you could hear Satan. Especialy, with certain rock bands.

What would happen if a woman whore leggings backwards, at Starbucks, with soy?

Muff Potter,

“Other than being equal parts absured and funny, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why leggings are such a big deal with fundagelicals.”
++++++++++++++

terrified of the human body? part of the legacy of a puritan heritage?

Tina: Home churches are not necessarily “the solution” for the churches in America.

Before you can have a solution, you need to know what the problem is. IMO, the core problem with the American church is a spiritual leadership crisis. Home church is not the solution to this problem. From my brief experience with doing church this way in my area, its leaders were no more spiritual than the bunch we have in organized church. Someday, someone will figure out how to identify and mobilize the Church within the church and will experience CHURCH! Right now, most of the folks called by the name of Christ in America are doing church without God … IMHO.

Max: Evidently, New Calvinist pastors exposed to leggings get so messed up that they plagiarize.

So they compensate by wearing.. skinny-jeans…

Ken F (aka Tweed): So they compensate by wearing.. skinny-jeans…

With or without a cucumber stuffed into the crotch for visible Sanctified Testosterone?

Ken F (aka Tweed): So they compensate by wearing.. skinny-jeans…

Ken, I guess you and I are just not culturally-relevant. You know, I don’t really have a problem with form as long as there is some substance to it. I don’t even have a problem with “contemporary” church … after all, Jesus is the eternal contemporary. But these young whippersnappers who know everything and are out and about to change everything get my spiritual hackles up.

Nathan Priddis: if you played a record backwards, you could hear Satan.

Annnnnnnd, that’s why they played them at so many youth group meetings nationwide!

linda: Fundagelicals is a pejorative term.

Not at all, it’s simply an apt descriptor of a small subset within American Protestantism.

Muff Potter,

My HS, and GARBC churc was proud of being “fundamentalist”…. to them, it just means they take the Bible literally…. now we can argue forever what that means, but they did not take offense to being called “fundamentalist!

ION: Cricket

So, it’s been England’s morning in Port Elizabeth. Stokes reached his century, Ollie Pope is with him on 78 and will be hoping for a ton of his own, and the partnership has just reached exactly 200. England haven’t had too many double-century stands lately… 348-4.

Onyway, I’m at a stage – just finished an HTML Forms module, and I’m off for a run.

IHTIH

SiteSeer: Funny how a person who doesn’t even know who they are is focused on finding followers.

I once had a 29-year old SBC New Calvinist church planter tell me “I don’t know what I’m doing” when I quizzed him on the quick success of his plant in a short period of time (from 10 to 300 followers in 3 months). He just said he was trying “to make God big.” He appeared shocked when I told him God had been big for quite a while. IMO, the success of his ministry had nothing to do with his shallow sermonettes which sounded like off-the-shelf Driscoll stuff to me. The crowd (mostly 20s-30s) appeared to be coming for the free coffee and donuts and to hear the cool band; the audio/visuals in the black sanctuary were also cool. The young pastor was also entertaining with his humorous Jay Leno-style preaching delivery from a stool propped up at center stage. I’m not sure if God felt bigger or not in that place, but I felt like an old-fogey who had long ceased to be culturally-relevant for this style of doing church.

A “Christian Influencer” on social media. The whole concept just reeks of narcissism. The idea that anyone is so superior to the masses that they just have to be listened to as some kind of expert is pure narcissistic thinking. There is nothing humble about wanting “to be successful, and be a ‘somebody.'” This shameless selfish-ambition is just so anti-Christ. Whatever happened to actually following Christian orthopraxy?

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” Phil 2:3

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Rom. 12:16

Regarding social hierarchy including social media: “But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 14:10-11

There is only one reason why anyone of us should actually listen to someone else and that is not based on social status or even education. They must be speaking what is true. If they are not doing that then even if they have a PHD they are just a fool spouting nonsense. Because knowledge tends to puff up some of the biggest nonsense spouting people are the ones with higher education, unfortunately. Humility will stop you from speaking rashly nor regarding your own opinion higher than you ought. Worldly success also tends to puff people up, but being a friend (successful) to the world makes you into an enemy of God. I would rather have the humility and friendship with God, myself.

Linn: I teach upper-elementary in Silicon Valley where many of my students want to grow up to be social media influencers. I tremble for the next generation-they watch slime videos for hours.

After a very contentious church business meeting with one particular church gnashing their teeth, a senior saint commented to me “That’s exactly why you don’t give the devil the microphone!” I have often thought of that as it relates to much of what is posted in social media.

ishy: SBC youth evangelist Acton Bowen has been sentenced to 1008 years in prison for molesting multiple boys.

Southern Baptists don’t talk much about demon-possession, but …

Max: I once had a 29-year old SBC New Calvinist church planter tell me “I don’t know what I’m doing” when I quizzed him on the quick success of his plant in a short period of time (from 10 to 300 followers in 3 months). He just said he was trying “to make God big.” He appeared shocked when I told him God had been big for quite a while.

“B-But HOW COULD GOD BE BIG WITHOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?”

Max: But these young whippersnappers who know everything and are out and about to change everything get my spiritual hackles up.

Like the HJ/SS, Komsomol, Red Guard, and Taliban they were put here for such a time as this,
starry-eyed and On Fire for The Righteous Cause.

Jeffrey Chalmers,

The motto of a prominent teaching in my fundy HS: G&d said it, I believe it, that settles it!!

Max: I’m not sure if God felt bigger or not in that place, but I felt like an old-fogey who had long ceased to be culturally-relevant for this style of doing church.</blockquote

In I Corinthians Paul exhorted his hearers (the letter was probably intended to be read out loud to the congregation) to conduct their meetings in such a way that if outsiders happened to be present, they would have an awe-inspiring sense that "God really is present here among these people."

It would be interesting to know what concept of God underlies the current ways of doing church, assuming that this is even a consideration in our day.

[sound of trumpet] Cricket

As Nick is busy trying to debug some javascript *, I will provide today’s final cricketing update Myself.

England declared on 499-9, with Ollie Pope unbeaten on 135. South Africa made a steady start, with a half-century opening stand broken by Dom Bess who removed both Malan and Hamza before stumps. The Proteas ended the day on 60-2, needing another 240 to avoid the follow-on. England ahead at this stage but, as I often say (of cricket in particular): it’s a funny old game.

Best regards,
God

*I could tell him what the problem is, obviously, but he’ll have more fun working it out for himself.

Samuel Conner,

I wonder how many people “wondered” about this depraved pervert, but were shamed either actively, or indirectly? Given the number of boys, and number of “Acts” I can not believe that there was not people that thought there was something “not right”?

Jeffrey Chalmers: I can not believe that there was not people that thought there was something “not right”?

Someone once said ““The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” There should have been some good men “laying on hands” a long time ago re: Acton Bowen.

Dale Partridge is a pathological liar. It’s scary to think that he considers himself a pastor. In terms of his stealing others’ work, he first pulls a Mark Driscoll and blames it on his assistant. He then vilifies those calling him out, and finally says he’s willing to concede because “through the Holy Spirit I became convicted that what I did was unwise and needed to be corrected”. Note, God, The Holy Spirit didn’t tell him stealing is wrong & sinful and he needed to repent, when, in fact, stealing is on God’s top ten list of sins. Nope. It’s just “unwise” because “it could hurt Dale’s reputation”.

Dale targeted millennials with his social cause t-shirts. Now that that market is saturated he’s moved on, now specifically targeting the older “dones” trying to rope them into his new line of Relearn Church products. I’ll give this self-described “serial entrepreneur” credit for his research skills. He’s targeting a demographic that are already believers and are willing to donate large portions of cash and free labor if they can be re-engaged.

But let’s look at his track record. In the TED X Bend video above, he claims that by age 25 he had “produced 5 companies that were producing over $5 million a year”. He uses a lot of weasel words. He didn’t say he created, or started or took-over. He “produced”. Likewise, he fails to say if the $5M is gross revenue, net revenue, cash flow, etc. Given the nature of the companies: a fitness company, a rock-climbing gym, a conference org, an advertising agency & Sevenly, that $5M, if it even exists, Is likely top line revenue.

None of the first four companies appear to still be operating, so we can assume they weren’t big contributors to this $5M /yr brag number. A fitness co could mean he did some personal training. His ad agency likely sold some social media tips.

So let’s look at the cash cow Sevenly. Sevenly wisely exchanged a small amount of a weekly gross sales, approx 25% over a 7 day sales period, in order to access the donor lists of large pre-established charities. This allowed them to gain access to 52 major charities a year, to get to their donors who were willing to spend more to support social causes. Notice the lack of small charities they support.

The products rolled off after a week but Sevenly had the contact list to hit up buyers on all their other products in perpetuity, going forward. Pretty smart marketing strategy and they likely sold their client list to other non-profits.

Partridge fails to say why he left Sevenly and Sevenly has failed to announce that the 7 day $7 per product is no longer offered. If you search hard enough you can find a vague statement that Sevenly now “pledges 7%” of sales to charities, which is a sharp drop in giving. They also shrewdly don’t say if it’s 7% of the gross price or net price. Either way it’s not much to the charity.

The paltry amount sloughed off to charities might explain how Partridge was able to own TWO luxury homes, “raked in a heavy 6-fig salary”, had a “gorgeous beach” HQ building in the OC, threw lavish parties, married a model & drove high end cars and was photographed on what appeared to be a yacht. He had no other stated sources of income and only started writing books after he was ousted from Sevenly.

That lifestyle sums up most successful charities/non-profits created by schmarmy hipster pastors at mega churches. Sevenly was touted by Gateway and Kari Jobe was featured as an early internet influencer sporting Sevenly gear, frolicking arm in arm with other young low level Christian celebrities laughing like loons in every picture. Apparently, that sells in the Christian digital media influencer world, because those pics are as ubiquitous as plastic red cups at a frat house. They all cross promote each others’ side businesses that are used for personal enrichment. It’s interesting how many of these charity creators drive cars >$100K.

Before “Relearn Church”, Partridge was selling “Unlearn Church” which is convenient if he can get a load of people to drop out of church then talk these same lemmings into his new form of “Relearning Church”. This is the clear formula of a money grubbing cult leader. I’m sure we’ll be reading about future abuses emanating from Pastor Serial Entrepreneur Partridge. At least the world has been forewarned. Thanks Dee!

Amy Moore,

It’s always easy to accept “conviction” from “the Holy Spirit” because [generic] you don’t lose face when it’s God correcting you…

Amy Moore,

Looks like you’ve done your homework on Mr. Partridge, Amy. Do you know anything about his Faithwire co-host, Dan Andros?