Have you ever heard of Elmer Gantry??? Neither had I before I was asked to participate with several other students in an interview with National Public Radio. Elmer Gantry was the lead character in a novel by the same name written by Sinclair Lewis in the 1920’s. As a charlatan revival preacher, Gantry traveled the country peddling the gospel for personal profit rather than eternal rewards. The novel was turned into a film in the 1960’s that garnered several Academy Awards.

So, why did National Public Radio want to speak with students like me about a fictional character like Gantry? They wanted to hear the perspective of people preparing for ministry on someone who was using the pulpit for personal gain. It was an excellent experience.

You can listen to the audio of the interview here, and read the NPR synopsis here.

Does all that crooning about drinking and divorce in country music contribute to the prevalence of suicide in its listeners? That’s the question Steven Stack and Jim Gundlach seek to answer in a recent study entitled The Effect of Country Music on Suicide. The report concludes that country music, indeed, contributes to suicide rates:

Country music is hypothesized to nurture a suicidal mood through its concerns with problems common in the suicidal population, such as marital discord, alcohol abuse, and alienation from work. The results of a multiple regression analysis of 49 metropolitan areas show that the greater the airtime devoted to country music, the greater the white suicide rate. The effect is independent of divorce, southernness, poverty, and gun availability. The existence of a country music subculture is thought to reinforce the link between country music and suicide. Our model explains 51% of the variance in urban white suicide rates.

Music functions as both a window and a mirror. It is a window that provides a glimpse of what is driving the culture. And it is a mirror that reflects the preferences of its listeners. So what does it reveal about us when country music contributes to suicide rates?

Many of the lyrics embedded in country music speak to the trials and tribulations of southern culture. Whether its singing about the loss of momma, the end of a marriage or the sorrow of another night in the local honky tonk, country music is often marked by despair. So, it should come as no surprise that this kind of music sometimes contributes to the greatest example of despair in the world - suicide.

Suicide is the most horrifying form of death there is. Why? Because it is the ultimate act of pride. Though it seems to be an act of humility, suicide is actually the pinnacle of hubris as someone determines that the taking of their life is more important than the abandonment of all those who are connected with them. Moreover, in suicide, they present an anti-gospel by destroying the life that has been created in God’s image.

Whether country music actually causes suicide or whether its lyrics are more volatile than other forms of music are still up for debate. But what is certain is that suicide is evidence of complete despair.

I recently had the opportunity to preach in my Sunday School class at 9th and O Baptist Church. You can listen to the sermon by following the link below. Here is a write-up about the message by my friend Jed:

If you weren’t able to attend the Dean’s Class this past Sunday, you missed out on a phenomenal message from Phillip Bethancourt. With clarity and conviction, Phillip took his listeners from the pumpkin patches of Huber Farm to the wheat fields of Israel. He preached about praying for laborers, childlike faith, and Satan falling like lightning from heaven. He preached about truths that kings and prophets longed to see and hear. He preached Christ.

Hopefully, as Phillip helps you get in touch with your agrarian roots, you’ll see and savor the Lord of the Harvest. You can listen to the message by following the link below:

Luke 10:1-24 

To listen to audio from other guest preachers in the Dean’s Class, click here.

Last week, one of my friends told us about an ironic situation that I could not help but relate to you:

He works at a local restaurant, and one of the female servers regularly sports a shirt just like the one pictured to the left as her undershirt. The shirt screams, “This is What a Feminist Looks Like.”

My friend was shocked that, when the topic of the 2008 presidential elections came up, this girl definitively declared that she would not support Hillary Clinton. Why? “Because I can’t picture a woman being president!”

So, the one wearing the shirt claiming she is all that a feminist looks like is opposed to a female holding the most prestigious office in the country. Irony of ironies!

Yet, t-shirt feminists like her are no different than t-shirt Christians. They know how to look the part; they know how to talk the talk; but their decisions don’t match the persona. What they do is not consistent with who they claim they are.

From the day that I skeptically witnessed the grand opening of Lakewood Church in Houston, I have always had an interest in Joel Osteen. There’s nothing like watching a religious service in the same location that you used to watch NBA basketball. Osteen is in the midst of a media blitz as he seeks to promote his new book Become a Better You.

For all those who are interested, Osteen and his wife Victoria will be interviewed tonight by Larry King on CNN’s Larry King Live at 9 PM ET.

Here are some other links related to Osteen’s new book release that may be of interest:

• Tim Challies reviews the book Become a Better You
• 60 Minutes interviews Osteen (includes transcript)
• Good Morning America interviews Osteen
• Denny Burk comments on the 60 Minutes interview

Welcome to the new site for Fill Up. Same Blog, new location. I want to draw your attention to several new features at this site:

• In the News — This is the new feature I am most excited about. At the top of the right sidebar, you will find a second blog that offers links to interesting articles on Christianity, politics and culture. Simply click on a link to go to the original article. This mini-blog offers its own RSS feed that you can subscribe to.
• Dean’s Class — I contribute regularly to our Sunday school class blog at www.deansclass.com. You can see the headlines of all the latest posts at deansclass.com in the sidebar to the right.
•  Subscription — You can subscribe to the content of the site through your RSS reader. Or you can sign up by email and receive a notification in your inbox whenever new content is posted to the site. Both of these options can be found on the right sidebar.

Southern Seminary had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. David Platt to preach at chapel. I have been encouraged and challenged every time I have heard him preach, and this was no exception. Make sure you check out his message on Hebrews 13:11-14 where he asks the question, “would you rather die for religion or die for devotion?”

The Washington Post writes:

A Pew poll out today draws a fine line: It is important for presidential aspirants to be seen as religious, but most do not get a big bump from being perceived as “very religious.” The new data also show how little the public knows about the religious and social views of the top presidential contenders as the campaigns kick into high-gear.

Is there such a thing as being ‘too religious’? Apparently, when it comes to politics, there is. This perspective of religion flies in the face of the all or nothing nature of the gospel portrayed in Scripture. What does it profit a man (or woman) if they gain the presidency of the United States yet forfeit their soul?

According to the Evangelical Outpost:

Aggies are #1? It’s No Joke — Move over Harvard–Texas A&M is now ranked as the “best” university in the country. So says The Washington Monthly magazine in its annual College Guide, which was designed as an alternative to US News & World Report and similar guides. Texas A&M takes the number one spot among national universities on the Washington Monthly list, while Princeton, U.S. News’s top-ranked school, comes in at 78.

UCLA and UC Berkeley place second and third respectively among national universities in the Washington Monthly rankings.

He’s an empty nester. He’s a grandfather. And now, Mike Flynt is set to become the oldest college football player in history at age 59.

Flynt returned to Sul Ross State this month, 37 years after he left and six years before he goes on Medicare. His comeback peaked Wednesday with the coach saying he’s made the Division III team’s roster. He could be in action as soon as Sept. 1.

Flynt is giving new meaning to being a college senior. After all, he’s a grandfather and a card-carrying member of AARP. He’s eight years older than his coach and has two kids older than any of his teammates.

Why did Flynt want to return to the football field again?

Flynt’s life was supposed to be slowing down this fall. With his youngest child starting at the University of Tennessee, he and Eileen, his wife of 35 years, are planning to take advantage of being empty-nesters for the first time.

Instead, they’ve moved to this remote patch of West Texas so Flynt can mend an old wound and, he hopes, inspire others.

Why did Flynt not finish his football eligibility the first time around?

Flynt was going into his senior year in 1971 when he got into a fight that was far from his first. School officials decided they’d had enough and threw him out of school. He earned his degree from Sul Ross by taking his remaining classes elsewhere.

Of course, Flynt is finishing his glory days in Texas. Whether he makes a significant contribution to the team, there is no question that Flynt is setting a record that will not soon be broken.