Disqus - Latest Comments for lucasland

Re: We Are Giving Away a Fire TV & Lifetime Plex Pass

Lucas Land — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 08:00:44 -0000

I'm always behind so Doctor Strange is my favorite summer movie right now.

Re: What is Nature Worth?

Lucas Land — Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:55:42 -0000

Great thoughts Maria. Thanks.

Re: Interstellar: Less Than Stellar Movie on Climate Change

Lucas Land — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 09:05:08 -0000

Another good take on what the movie says about us. http://permaculturenews.org...

Re: Gluten Free Diets: A-Gluten For Punishment?

Lucas Land — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 16:01:38 -0000

So, a friend of mine who is Assistant Professor of Wheat Breeding and Genetics added some helpful information to this question. He says that according to extension agents in multiple states the practice of pre-harvest glyphosate application is actually very, very uncommon. So, that still leaves me wondering if there is anything more than marketing behind the gluten free craze. I'll let you know if anything else turns up.

Re: Gluten Free Diets: A-Gluten For Punishment?

Lucas Land — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 10:49:00 -0000

It's good to hear your experience with gluten free diet. A lot of what you're saying makes sense to me. Eating less processed foods is going to be healthier, but blaming gluten seems to be a bit of misnomer in most cases. I am interested in the non-celiac sensitivities that some say we are seeing more of, but I don't understand what's behind that. It seems like the problem is first determining if there is non-celiac gluten-sensitivity or if it has more to do with processed foods. There's a lack of data on this area as far as I can tell. With such a huge industry trying to sell and market "gluten-free" products, it would be good to have some more science to tell us what's going on if anything and to debunk some of the stuff that's out there.

Re: Disaster Capitalism in the Bible

Lucas Land — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 09:33:02 -0000

That book is on my list since you've mentioned it before. I had to go back and re-read this post since it's 4 years old now. Thanks for adding your thoughts.

Re: Permaculture Principles: Observe and Interact

Lucas Land — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 10:04:15 -0000

Thanks for your thoughts Maria. I think you are exactly right. Observation is hard work, but it's different work than many of us are used to. I was being tongue in cheek about sitting and doing nothing, because that's what it feels like to a lot of people (myself included). Observing and not doing something immediately to fix or improve things is very counter-cultural.

I'm, personally, terrible at journaling for my garden or other observations. It's a shift in practice and thinking. I also benefit from books and others who are better at it than me.

Re: What are we Saving with Daylight Saving Time?

Lucas Land — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:57:42 -0000

What?!? You mean people are not always rational? ;-)

Re: Scott Thumma: Further Conversation on Sociology and Slow Church.

Lucas Land — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 15:03:24 -0000

Dang! I wrote a long thoughtful response that was deleted when I logged in to comment. So, I'll try to sum up.

I think the critique of slow food as elitist and hipster is overused and way off. It has been rebutted often by many people. My family cooks most of what we eat from scratch and grows as much as we can on an urban lot. We're a family of five with one person working full-time and living near the poverty line. We don't have lots of extra time. This comparison and critique is not helpful and misinformed.

I'm part of an intentional christian community in Waco, TX. We are intergenerational and diverse. We have a lot of young families and we are doing "slow church" in some form or fashion. I have seen a rise in interest and participation since I became aware of some of these movements within the church.

I'm concerned that the author here is basing whether or not something will happen or will work on surveys and research that can't capture the whole picture. It is working for some and in a variety of different settings. This kind of research and language while appearing supportive is ultimately discouraging to those who see this as the way to faithfully follow Jesus.

In other words, it shouldn't matter what the research and surveys say, on the one hand, because the point is to be faithful not do what the research says will work or is happening. On the other hand the research can't include statistically all of the relevant information. Pretty sure my community was not included in the survey and I have seen plenty of first hand evidence that interest in this kind of church is growing in WACO, TX. which also says something important. Sure, it's complicated, but the qualified support of the author leaves me frustrated.

Re: Guess who’s cashing in on fracking? The Amish

Lucas Land — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 20:41:02 -0000

Grist ran an article on the same topic in June titled "How fracking companies exploit Amish farmers" (http://grist.org/news/how-f.... This latest article seems to suggest that the Amish are instead exploiting the fracking boom. The previous article at had some documentation on how they were being exploited, but this article seems to be mostly conjecture. Why the change? Is there new information about this that makes a 180 degree change in reporting on this story?

Please fill us in. I have worked extensively with Mennonites similar to the Amish and find the reporting on them is often a poor reflection of the reality and usually says more about the journalist than any actual information about the Mennonites.

I reflected on the previous article when it came out in June: http://wwje.wordpress.com/2...

Re: An Open Table (worship at the Mennonite Worker)

Lucas Land — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 14:06:30 -0000

I once summarized that passage in 1 Corinthians 11 on twitter something like, "Paul says that you take the Lord's Supper unworthily, if you don't share your bread with the hungry."

Re: Queer Theology Syncroblog 2013!

Lucas Land — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:19:31 -0000

At first I wanted to offer to participate as an ally, but then read this page and appreciate that my role should be lifting up queer voices. Thanks for thinking of that and sharing it.

Re: Queer Theology Syncroblog 2013!

Lucas Land — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 09:20:28 -0000

I would love to have someone guest post on my blog for this synchroblog, http://wwje.wordpress.com. It fits the theme of my blog very well which is about food, the environment, etc. and I would love to highlight some other voices and perspectives. Please let me know if anyone would be interested.

Re: I’m Tired of Being Called a Racist

Lucas Land — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:22:00 -0000

Unfortunately there's no room in public discourse and particularly internet discourse to acknowledge the validity of both sides. Tony is undoubtedly racist... as am I. Acknowledging our own racism and privilege, and publicly, would be a helpful step toward dealing with injustices and inequality of our time.

On the flip side, it is clear that Tony is on the side of the oppressed in many ways, marching for marriage equality and holding "progressive" views. So demonizing allies isn't helpful either.

I've always been fond of something John Perkins said about reconciliation at a CCDA conference. He said that reconciliation is not about blacks and whites sitting down to have coffee together. It's about having the difficult conversations, like this one, about what we really think.

So, the most helpful thing would be to sit down at a table and discuss why I don't think I'm racist and maybe discover that I am more racist than I thought. On the other hand those labeling people racist might be more careful when they know someone on a more personal level and see them as allies.

Simply defending yourself as "not racist" doesn't move the conversation forward, because "the other" has not been heard. Simply labeling people as racist doesn't lead us toward acknowledging the deeply ingrained nature of our own racism.

In all of this I feel the internet does more harm than good for the discourse.

Re: The Real War On Christmas

Lucas Land — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:19:55 -0000

A collaboration might be a better idea, because I don't have time to write the whole book, but I could do a chapter on the History of Santa or something.

Re: The Real War On Christmas

Lucas Land — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:47:51 -0000

I have wanted to write a book with the title of this post for a long time. My theory is that consumerism is actually the global religion (and major idolatry) of our day. So, Christmas/Advent is when these two religions actually most explicitly go head to head. I want to unpack how the legends surrounding St. Nicholas were transformed into the god of the consumer religion in Coca-Cola's version of Santa Claus. Look at all the faith language used in Christmas movies, not around anything to do with Christianity, but instead the myths surrounding what I call the High Holy Days of the consumer religion which now include Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Oops i forgot Tuesday and on until Christmas when we all bow down before the gifts we have gone into so much debt to ensure the gods are satisfied.

Re: One More Post about Homeschooling

Lucas Land — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:57:03 -0000

Tony,

First let me say thanks for taking the time to do more than poke at a hornets' nest. I really appreciate you giving a more nuanced response to those who responded to your post. Your response clarifies your position, but still has some huge assumptions which I previously pointed out that you did not respond to. I hope you're not just picking the low-hanging fruit to respond to. I think there's a very interesting substantive discussion to be had around the idea of civic institutions, the common good and how we as Christians should or should not engage them.

Your biggest assumption is that the public school system is a civic institution and common good that we must at all costs fight for its continued existence and improvement for the good of society. If we, as Christians, do not fight for, strengthen or uphold this institution we are abandoning this society and the common good. That, I take, is your argument in a nutshell. However, not everyone agrees with your assumption. This is the makings of an interesting conversation. Hopefully, you will be open to having this conversation.

Now, if I believe that abandoning the public school system is the best thing for the common good, then your argument no longer applies to me. If your goal is for people who sympathize with your argument to not pull out of public schools for selfish reasons and therefore to strengthen public schools, then you would have done better to make the case for public schools rather than bashing homeschooling. Not sure yet where your real interest lies. It is after all fun and entertaining to stir up a hornets' nest and much more boring to actually work towards a better future with people through meaningful dialogue and engagement.

So, I would like to hear you actually make the case for public schools. I am very aware, since i work in a low-income school district, of the problems our public schools face. I am also aware that abandoning public schools by itself is not a solution. Those who would bear the brunt of the problems would be the same ones that do now, low-income people of color. All this means is that whether or not we save or strengthen public schools we face the same problem, better education for our children and more equality between classes and ethnicities. I would rather help those in poverty and color step outside the civic institutions, because I believe they are actually designed to get the results they are getting. I don't believe that any amount of strengthening or saving will result in the common good you are hoping for.

I understand that this is not the argument everyone who disagrees with you is making, but I think it is a valid criticism of your stance and hopefully worth a response.

Re: Why Homeschoolers Don’t Understand “Missional”

Lucas Land — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:09:46 -0000

Ok, I can understand that. I didn't know that was his policy. Still, the trend seems to be to poke the nest and then run away which seems kind of boring to me. The titles and topics seem intentionally controversial without actually creating good dialogue. So, I probably won't participate much. This topic just caught my eye and thought it would be worth some good dialogue. The internet continues to disappoint me as well.

Re: Why Homeschoolers Don’t Understand “Missional”

Lucas Land — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:46:21 -0000

Your fleeting comments don't seem to engage the actual conversation happening. I'd be more interested in hearing your thoughtful response to some of the points being made. I appreciate your clarification of what your real point is, but don't hear you engaging thoughtfully what others are saying. I don't really hear people saying what you and TM are saying. Sounds like yet another caricature.

Another post perhaps or more comments. Do as you wish, it's your blog. I'm just disappointed.

Re: Why Homeschoolers Don’t Understand “Missional”

Lucas Land — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:42:01 -0000

It is only necessary to define homeschooling as a strategy of withdrawal if you take the modern public system as your starting point. Prior to the relatively recent invention of the public school system "homeschooling" was the norm. We have very short memories as human beings. Neuroscience and evolutionary biology are literally proving this. Not everyone agrees that public school should be the measure by which we define withdrawal from society. In fact busing kids all over town to go to schools often creates a disconnect from their neighborhood and community in which they physically live. I'm not saying these are simple issues, just that I don't accept the constraints placed on the conversation by the assumption of the current arrangement as the starting point by which we measure things.

Re: Why Homeschoolers Don’t Understand “Missional”

Lucas Land — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:05:14 -0000

If I understand you correctly, Tony, you're also saying the opposite, that it is the duty of Christians to strengthen civic institutions. I'm not sure where it says that or the basis for your argument. There are some valid Christian arguments for not voting or abstaining from participation in public office, but that does not imply disengagement from public life or the common good as you seem to imply. Again, you are limiting the possibilities for engagement based on the existing infrastructure of public institutions. The absence of participation in any of these institutions does not constitute some sort of abandonment of the common good or civil society.

I hear you saying that "missional engagement" = "participation in civic institutions". Is that really true? Is the whole world subsumed by your "civic institutions"? Seems very limiting and narrow. I'm not saying I am opposed to people participating in civic institutions as faithful people, even if I don't agree or wouldn't do it myself. But you're advocating the opposite construct now that I am only considered "missional" if I engage particular institutions and perhaps only in the way you think i should engage them. For example, I would consider myself engaged in the institution of democracy by actively choosing note to vote, rather than passively forgetting to vote or ignoring politics.

Your comment that "Other homeschoolers suck, but I do it for the right reasons" is dismissive and condescending of thoughtful people who disagree with your very sweeping statements (which is becoming the tone I am expecting more and more from you).

Re: Why Homeschoolers Don’t Understand “Missional”

Lucas Land — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:25:34 -0000

I totally agree. I actually removed from my own comments some statements about the nature of conversation and tone here that bothers me. Since you already said it, I would like to also say that I find it disturbing that an advocate of the "emerging conversation" falls prey to the same tactics FOX news and others use to get ratings. Unfortunately Tony can sit back and laugh because we're having this conversation on his blog, but it lowers my esteem of the good doctor a few notches. It seems even those who claim to want dialogue in this country don't know how to do it well. This could also be a product fo being in the academy too long where you are only rewarded for being cynical and disagreeing with everyone (I have many friends that seem to prove this case).

Re: Why Homeschoolers Don’t Understand “Missional”

Lucas Land — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:19:53 -0000

You seem to have a particular type of homeschooling and homeschooler in mind with your posts, but not all homeschoolers are created equal. My wife and I have decided to unschool our kids at home, but we end up rubbing shoulders with the kind of fundamentalist, anti-culture homeschoolers you seem to be attacking. We also spend a lot of our time with unitarians that both homeschool and unschool. It's unfortunate to just be lumped in to one "homeschool" category.

It also seems that you are allowing the public education system to dictate how and when you engage with the world, if choosing not to go to public school somehow means you're not missional (whatever we can agree that word means, which I agree is not proselytizing). In other words, there is a whole world outside of the public school system in which I can engage missionally. It's like saying I have to engage in the military, global capitalism or retirement plans just because that's the way the world is. Saying the only way to be missional is to put your kids in public school shows a serious lack of imagination. You can certainly disagree with particular ways of homeschooling, but blanket statements like this are boring and not helpful.

We live in a very diverse neighborhood in Waco, TX and my kids get to engage a diverse group of people and ideas. There are pros and cons to opting out of public schools, but it's a non sequitur that homeschooling = NOT missional. We as a family wrestle with the fact that homeschooling/unschooling is an option for us as privileged people, but I don't think that necessarily means we shouldn't do it. It does mean we should be aware of that fact.

Re: From Farming to Wildlife Management

Lucas Land — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:31:32 -0000

Totally agree about the goal, less work for more food and back to natural patterns. However, the question is always how to get from here to there. So, in an industrialized, civilized world we move in that direction by first getting connected again to our food whether it's just the farmer's market or our own gardens next to our single-family detached housing. The next step might be moving beyond even organic gardening/farming practices to a permaculture within the city or suburbia. The idea of deriving our food from wildlife management involves such a radical shift from the way things are organized, I don't think we'll get there until more people are getting their hands dirty, growing their own food and on the path to asking the right questions.

Great article!

Re: http://adammoore.us/post/3315963430

Lucas Land — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:19:25 -0000

My experience of church has often been the same... overly structured, organized, and programmed to death. I've also experienced people reacting against that and being completely disorganized and it was not any better. We should be riding the Third Rail... I guess that sounds bad... you know what I mean.