Elsewhere: A collection of interesting links and articles that I’ve come across in the last week or so. Follow me on Twitter for more of the same.
Damaris Zehner on “The Myth Of Autonomy”:
Enough balderdash. Let’s debunk this mythology of honorable autonomy and consider the nature of our true relationships with the world, each other, and God.
First of all, we aren’t living the autonomous life that we idealize. All of us depend on other people every day. Even the few who look like they’re self-sufficient really aren’t. The survivalist hunts his own meat and tans the hide, but did he smelt the ore to make his guns and traps? Amish farmers raise both food and buildings, but they didn’t plant the trees that they cut down for lumber, nor did they mine the iron for the nails. In fact, they didn’t give the trees the power to grow or place the raw materials in the earth. They—we—all rely on provisions from outside ourselves for life.
Even the autonomists who say that they’ve worked for all they have, that they’ve never taken a hand-out from anyone, aren’t telling the strict truth. They may have started their own business, but they didn’t make the economy or customers or infrastructure that made the business possible. They didn’t create and raise and educate the human capital that keeps their business running. And ironically, not only do they rely on others for their success, but others rely on them to provide something they need. Even autonomists are part of a web, not an isolated entity.
An interesting comparison of the importance and significance of the Qur’an and the Bible to their respective religions:
The interesting point of contrast emerges when you ask what position each religion assigns to its book. For Islam, the arrival of the book, the revelation of the Qur’an, is the central event in the history of salvation. According to Islam, Muhammad entered a cave and Allah made his word known to him through Gabriel. The reason there is a Muslim religion, according to Muslim theology, is that the word came to the prophet: There is one God, and his prophet is Muhammad.
What role does Christianity assign to its book? Certainly a very high role, with a claim of divine revelation and therefore a position of authority. But the coming of the book is not the central event in the history of revelation. The coming of the Son of God is that central event. The Bible is the prophetic anticipation of Christ (OT), and the apostolic interpretation of Christ (NT). One part of it looks forward to the central event, and one part of it looks backward to the central event. But the central event itself is not the arrival of a book; it is the arrival of God the Son.
How relevant are major labels in light of the success of indie acts like Arcade Fire?
Traditionally, independent labels have been a haven for bands that don’t fit in the mainstream. But musically, at least, Arcade Fire has enough in common with long-established acts like Bruce Springsteen and U2 that there isn’t much of a case to be made that the band is defining itself through novelty or innovation. The difference between major and indie labels now has less to do with aesthetics than with the way bands conceive of their careers. For Arcade Fire, independence and control may be ultimately more profitable.
Crowd Sourcing Loses Steam:
There’s no shortage of theories on why Wikipedia has stalled. One holds that the site is virtually complete. Another suggests that aggressive editors and a tangle of anti-vandalism rules have scared off casual users. But such explanations overlook a far deeper and enduring truth about human nature: most people simply don’t want to work for free. They like the idea of the Web as a place where no one goes unheard and the contributions of millions of amateurs can change the world. But when they come home from a hard day at work and turn on their computer, it turns out many of them would rather watch funny videos of kittens or shop for cheap airfares than contribute to the greater good. Even the Internet is no match for sloth.
Huffington Post: “Netflix Streaming Selection Expands To Include Paramount, Lionsgate, MGM Movies”:
Netflix Inc. will pay nearly $1 billion during the next five years for the online streaming rights to movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM in a deal that could help convert even more people to the idea of getting their entertainment piped over high-speed Internet connections.
[...]
Mark Greenberg, the president of Epix, told The Associated Press that the channel had discussed a digital distribution deal with many potential partners including the online video site Hulu, Amazon.com Inc., and Google Inc.‘s YouTube, but the Netflix deal made the most sense because it had healthy subscriber revenues.
“We’re putting our bet on Netflix. They’ve done a great job and they’re a great brand,” Greenberg said.
That sound you hear is Blockbuster execs wailing and gnashing their teeth.
A growing number of video games are forcing players to wrestle with moral choices:
How far would you go to save your child’s life? Would you kill somebody? How about on a broader scale – would you be able to stand by and watch a terrorist attack if it meant saving more lives?
These are scenarios from two of the highest profile videogames of the past year, respectively Heavy Rain and Modern Warfare II, but difficult ethical decisions are becoming more and more common in games.
Christianity Today interviews Anne Rice concerning her recent decision to “quit” Christianity:
What will it look like follow Christ without being part of the institutional church?
The most important thing Christ demands of all of us is to love our enemies as much as our neighbors. That is the radical core of his teaching. If we do that, we can transform our lives.
Christ reaches out to us individually. He’s saying “Come follow me; I am the way, the truth, and the life.” These are beautiful things. I read Scripture every day, I study it every day, I’m mindful of it every day. I don’t claim to have the right interpretation of every passage, but I wrestle with it, and that’s what I think he wants us to do.
Within the larger church there have always been people with diverse views, since the history of the church is a history of contention for the truth. Why do you find it untenable to be a part of a church that is so very pluralistic in its very process?
I don’t feel called to examine various denominations and decide what is the most comfortable or the best. I don’t feel called to have to defend that kind of decision publicly. I feel called to declare that I’m a believer. I have my Bible, and I’m deeply committed to Christ. I don’t contest people who do it the other way.
There may be a time in the future when I’ll feel the necessity to join a community. Keep in mind that I am 68 years old. I live in a Christian household. My two assistants, members of my family, are believers, so I’m not isolated at all. I am with people for whom Christ is the center of their life. I also have a community online. Since I made the decision, it’s become very clear to me that there are thousands of believers who have walked away from organized religion. The body of Christ is much bigger than any one organized church. The decision to walk away from the church is just as valid as shopping for a denomination that you feel more comfortable with.
What makes Arcade Fire “indie”?
In today’s music industry, however, every band, big or small, has to push as hard as possible. And most do. What separates Arcade Fire from most others isn’t the band’s tactics; it’s that those tactics have worked.
“Everyone wants to be more popular; you don’t want to be less popular,” said Doug Brod, editor of Spin magazine. “So you take what steps you need to take to get there. What they’re doing, people may find it vulgar, but I think they’re doing it the right way.”
Ultimately, the most indie thing about Arcade Fire might simply be that it owns its means of production. Unlike most bands, which turn over many of their rights to a record label in exchange for financial support, Arcade Fire owns its music and licenses it to labels around the world. (“The Suburbs” was also No. 1 on the British, European and, of course, Canadian charts.)
