In the Life of the Author5 Comments on Battling Illness, Boredom, and Tabloid TV

I was home sick over the weekend battling a cold. I left work early on Wednesday and was home Thursday and Friday. It gave me much more free time than I wanted, and was very boring. I felt best when sitting in front of the TV, but it got very very boring, and I’d tire very quickly if I tried to get up and do something more constructive.

What really annoyed me was that Fox news has really gone down hill in the few years since I was able to watch during the day more regularly. It used to be just a little annoying because they tended to recycle news every hour or two, but at least the news was news. Now they recycle it every 15 minutes, and only focus on one story in that 15 minutes. I happened to be home on a day when that news was Paris Hilton.

It amazes me that there is apparently nothing going on in the entire world worth talking about except Paris Hilton’s return to court.

I was quite glad that I had several shoes that I like to watch but haven’t had time to lately, and there was at least one whole season of each show that I wanted to catch up on. I was able to get through the entire last season of Stargate SG-1 in three days. Thankfully a box of books I had ordered from Amazon before I got sick showed up on Saturday, so I had an escape from my television-watching misery. I like Stargate, but 5-8 episodes in one day was a little much.

Looking back, I should have been reading more, even before the order showed up. I have been meaning to do some research on bad theology (“wolves in sheep’s clothing”) for several months, but need to actually read some books by people with especially bad theology. On the list is Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and Brian McLaren with more to add to the list once I’m done with them. In fact, if you know of any well-known “Evangelicals” who like to teach man-centered theology, and could get through an entire sermon without quoting the Bible or taking it grossly out of context if they do, let me know. You can also add anyone who tries to “Christianize” paganism (contemplative prayer, yoga, labyrinths, etc.). I’ve been considering adding Rob Bell, Tony Campolo, and Dallas Willard to the list. Depending on how much stuff I get, and how much I can dive into, I’ll either do some good posts here or put it all in book format. That is all if I can find the time, and not waste it on television when I do find the time.

5 thoughts on “Battling Illness, Boredom, and Tabloid TV”

  1. Funny you should metion Joel Olstein. A good friend of mine just brought him up, and I don’t know much about him. any further insights on this guy?

  2. Remember Anthony Robbins, the 1990’s motivational speaker? Joel Osteen is just the newest incarnation. His sermons are shallow and vapid, and appeal to people’s “felt needs”, rather than their spiritual needs (seeking repentance for the forgiveness of sins.) He’s known for his book and message “Your best life now”, which says that God wants us all to have the best of the best (a new car, a beautiful wife, great kids, a wonderful job, a big house, etc.) – tell that to the Christians in Pakistan and North Korea, who could be killed if it is discovered they worship the Nazarene. He’s nothing but a modern-day motivational speaker who throws in references to God in his speeches.

    He’s a nice, likable guy, and heads the largest church in North America, which was actually converted over from a professional basketball stadium. However, he leads thousands (if not millions) straight to Hell by telling them what they want to hear rather than giving them the Gospel so they might be saved.

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