America's pursuit of happiness

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Jul 2, 2006 in Culture | 2 comments

In the spirit of the 4th of July, this is a must read from The Economist, America’s pursuit of happiness. It provides this from a European perspective:

One of the most striking things about the document that Americans celebrate with such gusto on July 4 is that so much of it is dull – hardly worthy of the tons of fireworks and barbecue that are sacrificed in its honor.

The Founding Fathers were the first politicians to produce the explosive combination of individual rights and the pursuit of happiness. It remains equally remarkable today, still the best statement, 230 years after it was written, of what makes America American. There are lists of complaints about the administration of the courts and the quartering of British troops. There is an angry passage about King George’s habit of summoning legislators ‚Äúat places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records.‚Äù But all this tedium is more than made up for by a single sentence ‚Äì the one about ‚Äúlife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.‚Äù

The sentence was remarkable at the time – a perfect summary, in a few pithy words, of exactly what was new about the new republic. Previous countries had been based on common traditions and a collective identity. Previous statesmen had been exercised by things like the common good and public virtue (which usually meant making sure that people played their allotted roles in the divinely established order).

The Founding Fathers were the first politicians to produce the explosive combination of individual rights and the pursuit of happiness. It remains equally remarkable today, still the best statement, 230 years after it was written, of what makes America American.

The Book of Job gives warning that “man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Americans, for all their overt religiosity, have dedicated their civilization to proving Job wrong.

Acts 29 Church Plants

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Jul 2, 2006 in Church | 13 comments

I saw this at REFORMING MY MIND. I don’t know if it’s exhaustive, but here’s a list of Acts 29 Church Plants:

Acts 29 Network Link
2 Rivers Church – Wentzville, MO
Alathia Community Church – Issaquah, WA
All Saints – Seattle, WA
City View Church - Keller, TX
Coram Deo Church – Bremerton, Wa
Core Community Church – Omaha, NE
Crosscurrent Church – Virginia Beach, VA
Crosspointe Church – Orlando, FL
Doxa Church – Seattle, WA
Ecclesia Church – Houston, TX
Edgeworth Church – Malden, MA
Grace Community Church – Auburn, WA
Grace Fellowship Church – Lynnwood, WA
Harambee Church – Renton, WA
Kaleo Church – Houston, TX
Kaleo Church – San Diego, CA
Liberti Church – Philadelphia, PA
Mars Hill Church – Ballard and Shoreline, WA
Matthias Lot Church – St. Charles, MO
Metro Community Church – Edwardsville, IL
Northpointe Church – North Chelmsford , MA
Oasis Christian Fellowship Church – Bend, OR
Oikos Fellowship Church – Bellingham, WA
Poiema Church – Phoenix, AZ
Portico Church – Charlottesville, VA
Praxis Church – Tempe, AZ
Providence Church – The Colony, TX
Providence Community Church – Plano, TX
Red Sea Church – Portland, OR
Seaside Church – Bremerton, WA
Seed Church – Bothell, WA
Soma Church – Tacoma, WA
Summit Community Church – Ofallon, MO
Terra Nova Church – Troy, NY
The Fields Church - Carlsbad, CA
The Journey Church – St. Louis MO
The Master’s Church – Denver, CO
The Resolved Church – San Diego, CA
River of Grace Church – Concord, NH
The Table Church – Portland, OR
The Vine Church – Redmond, WA
The Side of the Rock Church – Fortuna, CA
The Village Church – Highland Village, TX
Vintage 21 Church – Raleigh, NC

Happy Blogday

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Jul 1, 2006 in Church, Church Technology, Culture | 1 comment

It was two-years ago that I began this tiny idea called Goodmanson.com. It’s now 100′s of posts and comments later…