Well, I was referencing Isaac Air Freight the other day. This is a cute little video that’s part IAF, part Weird Al; it’s the story of David and Goliath put to the tune of a familiar rock classic. Be sure and read the credits.

Hat tip to Gavin, who got it from Jamey Tucker.

This is my day to post items to the MethoBlog, and one of my posts referenced the old Isaac Air Freight skit “Prodigal Joe,” which used the characters from “Bonanza” to tell the story of the Prodigal Son. (At one point, when Little Joe asks for his inheritance, Ben asks if he wouldn’t rather settle for a little house on the prairie.)

Anyway, I got to thinking about Isaac Air Freight, and — courtesy of Google — discovered that they have a web site which sells “Best of” CDs. Money is tight this week, but I’m going to have to bookmark this site and pick up one of these babies, probably #2, which has the full, uncut version of “Prodigal Joe” (as opposed to the edited-down version which appeared on their “best of” vinyl, which is the basis of CD #1.)

It turns out that the son of original IAF member Dan Rupple now has his own sketch comedy group, known simply as “Air Freight,” and is carrying on the family tradition.

The Wittenburg Door now has a blog.

John at Locusts & Honey offers a modest proposal.

Sooner or later, everyone will have a blog.

Even John Wesley.

Hat tip to Reverend Mommy at (naturally) the MethoBlog.

I had not heard this: Garrison Keillor’s blues song about Methodists.

Big hat tip to Wayne.

Rich Diesselin has started a blog focusing on memories of Grady Nutt and has graciously granted me posting privileges.

Gavin linked to this, and I thought it was hilarious. It’s from something called The Logan Show.

By the way, when I was in college, in what now seems like the Pleistocene Age, I once beat Joel Osteen’s sister in a student government election. It’s been all downhill from there.

I will, I think, be sticking to the lectionary, which means I probably won’t be preaching on any of these verses either.

Hat tip to John at Locusts & Honey.

According to Time.com, NBC has reversed, or at least softened, its earlier decision to remove virtually all the religious references from the VeggieTales episodes it has begun airing on Saturday mornings. Creator Phil Vischer confirms this on his blog.

Hat tip to the blogger at One Thing I Know.

This blog has become synonymous with the highest standards of taste, class and refinement, and so there’s no way I would contribute to the rampant speculation about the existence and possible location of Gavin Richardson’s United Methodist cross-and-flame tattoo.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Colbert is always funny, even if I don’t agree with the premise of his parody.

An online acquaintance of mine with connections to late-night TV is hoping to eventually interview the real Colbert (who, like his TV alter ego, is Catholic, and even teaches Sunday School) for the Wittenburg Door. I’m really interested to read that interview when and if it happens.

In this clip, the hard-line stance taken the blustery fictitious Colbert is being used to parody the idea that any major religion is the one true path — or at least, that’s the way I interpret it. I believe in tolerance, and I believe that we as human beings should practice our faith in humility, with the clear understanding that we could be wrong. But I also believe that universalism — the idea that every faith is equally true — renders every faith equally absurd, since the major religions make foundational assertions about reality which contradict each other and since many — including the one to which I subscribe — make claims of being the exclusive path to God. If you’re going to assume that all are true, it means that you’re choosing to ignore each religion’s exclusivist claims — and that makes universalism a religion of your own design and convenience rather than a response to something larger than yourself.

If I decide to ignore or rationalize away Jesus’ claim that “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the father but by me,” why should I pay any attention to anything else he said? C.S. Lewis said that the idea of Jesus as a great teacher is pure nonsense. He was either the Son of God or a raving lunatic. I believe the former.

That does not mean that I have any excuse for hateful or intolerant behavior towards others, either within my faith or practitioners of other faith. I have a responsibility to share what I believe, but I must follow New Testament examples in doing so — state what I believe, boldly and fearlessly, and then move on if it is rejected. Colbert (and his offscreen captioner) make reference to cases in which people, acting under the banner of Christianity, did inexcusable and horrid things in the name of their faith. I believe these are perversions of Christianity, more representative of human depravity than of the faith in whose name they were perpetrated.

Listen to me — I’ve used a funny little comedy bit as an excuse for my own bloviation. I’ve made a mountain out of a molehill. I’ll go watch “Mythbusters” now.

Rich Diesslin has posted a Thanksgiving-themed composition by the late Grady Nutt. Click on the “Grady Nutt Tribute Page” link to get to it.

Claire Doyle, wife of my pastor Dr. Lloyd Doyle, stopped by the newspaper today to hand-deliver my subscriber copy of The Wittenburg Door. She had it because it had been accidentally nested in their copy of the Door and delivered to their home.