He Will Not Despise Their Plea

He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Psalm 102:17

Less than 24 hours ago, the worst earthquake in over 200 years struck just outside Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, and scaled at 7.0 in magnitude.

The Haitian president, René Préval, said that the toll was “unimaginable” and estimated that thousands had been killed and leaving more than an esitmated 3 million people affected by the quake.

President Obama responded with a message: “We will be resolute in our response, and I pledge to the people of Haiti that you will have a friend and partner in the United States of America today and going forward. May God bless the people of Haiti and those working on their behalf.”

Favorite Book of 2009?

Tell us your Favorite Book of 2009 or your Favorite Book of All Time and you’ll be entered in to win 2 tickets to “Men at the Cross” – the 2010 NW Regional Men’s Conference on Friday, January 29th and Saturday, January 30th – featuring Donald Miller, author of the bestseller Blue Like Jazz. The conference also features three other great speakers: Bill Perkins, Joe White, and Mike Silva.

Not local to Oregon but you want to enter? No problem. We’re also giving away a hard cover copy of Donald Miller’s latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years to the runner up.

Wanna See Switchfoot in Concert?

Tell us, in three sentences or less, your pick for Favorite Song or Album or Band of 2009 and you will be entered to win 2 tickets to see Switchfoot in concert at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon on Monday, January 11th, 2010.

Not local to Portland, Oregon? No problem. We’re also giving away a digital copy of Switchfoot’s new album, Hello Hurricane, to the runner up. So everyone wins! (Well, not everyone, just two people. But we all get an “A” for effort. Or “E” … whatever.)

Favorite Movies of 2009?

We’re searching for the top movies of 2009? And since we’re pretty confident most everyone will say Avatar, we’ll looking for some notable runner ups. Your answers will go in the upcoming Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Rethink Monthly (which we’re currently working on) featuring a cover story / interview with Rob Bell, Lessons from Tiger (Grrr!), and more.

The 12 Hates of Christmas

Thanksgiving has passed, but Christmas is in the air. It’s magical, isn’t it? It’s something, that’s for sure. You’ve heard of “The 12 Days of Christmas”, but I have put together a list called “The 12 Hates of Christmas.” It’s not a “resolution” kind of list. It’s a “Where did all the fun that I was supposed to have go this holiday?” kind of list. It’s an “I have bunch of regrets mixed in with my fond memories and I don’t like it” kind of list.

I have decided to wade through all the junk to bring out what is (or should be) most important. I hope it might add a little levity, bring some focus to this busy time, and help improve your holiday celebration, whatever it may be—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Ramadan, or Festivus (for the rest of us). Feel free to steal these and… spread the holiday hate to help others, or something like that. Sometimes it helps to have a sense of humor.

An Interview with Peter Rodger

We set off to interview Peter Rodger, world-renowned photographer and director of the new documentary Oh My God. An interesting look at the question “What is God?” Take a seat and listen as Peter explains his vision for the film and shares interesting insights you won’t get anywhere else.

To find out more about Peter and his new film, Oh My God, check out the website at www.omgmovie.com.

We also invite you to the opening of the film in Portland, Oregon on Friday, December 11th at the Fox Tower 10. After the 7:10pm showing, Rethink will host an opwn interfaith discussion based on the question, What is God? Join us. For more information on the theater and to order tickets, click here.

Is Tweeting Now a Felony?

Say you want a revolution.
We better get on right away.
Well you get on your feet
And out on the street.
- John Lennon
“Power to the People”

The ominous rise of the surveillance state continues unabated. With each passing day, hope fades that the Obama administration will diverge from George W. Bush’s erection of a police state.

The government’s treatment of Elliot Madison is a case in point. Madison, a 41-year-old self-styled anarchist and social worker, was arrested on September 24, 2009, and charged with violating a federal anti-rioting law. Madison allegedly listened to a police scanner (which, according to the New York Times, is legal) and blogged about it on Twitter to help fellow protesters avoid law enforcement at the G-20 summit taking place in Pittsburgh that same month. (Ironically, just months earlier, the U.S. government called Twitter a boon to democracy after Iranian protesters used it to organize anti-government rallies.)