Featured Posts
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Sorrow Like My Sorrow – Lamentations 1:12
Can we really understand the suffering of another person or they ours?
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What Is Biblical Literacy?
We complain about it, write about it, claim it’s important or even critical, design programs to create it, but what is it? I don’t mean that none of us know what we mean when we say “biblically literate” or “biblically illiterate,” but do we all mean the same thing? I don’t think we do, and…
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Fences: Mending or Rending
The following is a sermon I presented at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Pensacola on September 11,2005 and originally posted here on September 13, 2005. I’m reposting it because when I went to look for it, I found that the original post had somehow been truncated, and also because there is a one word at a…
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Experiencing the (Baptism of the) Holy Spirit
This is a topic where I tend to make just about everyone uncomfortable. Long time readers may recall a previous discussion of speaking in tongues, and my own experience of it. Those who expect me to be intellectually oriented and rational are uncomfortable with mystical experiences, and many who are comfortable with the mystical experiences…
Social Notes (see all)
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Obama and the Socialism Charge
I’m interested in how one can take a rather ordinary set of proposals and make them incendiary just by providing a label. And sorry, my conservative friends, I don’t buy into the “but he really is a socialist” line. The basis of the socialism charge is specific–Obama’s tax plans–and a response to that particular point…
Christian Carnival #248 is Posted
. . . at Fish and Cans.
Value of Basic Research (even in France)
In the middle of a speech on commitment to special needs children, Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin chose to take a pot shot at some pork–research into fruit flies. It was a particularly good political shot, because the research is taking place in Paris, France, and obviously, “real” Americans don’t want to pay for anything that…
Next Christian Carnival (#248)
. . . will be at Fish and Cans. You have a couple of hours yet to submit your best work!
To Stimulate or Not to Stimulate
The more I read Robert Rech’s comments on the current economic crisis, the better I like what I read. He’s been calling for stimulus that involves rebuilding the infrastructure. He’s calling for the same, but also suggesting that the lame duck congress will not be the ones to create a well-crafted stimulus package. He says:…
Quote of the Day
This one makes me think (it’s from Brian McLaren): The early church is not homogenized, new believers are not mimics when converted, they remain unique people. Whoever loves God is known by God. Knowledge can destroy the weak Christian; therefore, how do we deal with people with different knowledge?An Epistemology of Love | Everyday Liturgy,…
Suspending Free Speech in Politics
Though I have decided to support Barack Obama for president this year, one of the great negatives on my checklist for him and for the Democratic party is campaign finance laws. When I put the candidates side-by-side, however, McCain isn’t a significant improvement on that point. This is illustrated by this story on CQPolitics, informing…
Somebody Should Hire Her Quick
An intern with the San Diego Police Department, Gabrielle Wimer, solved a cold case from 1971.
Abortion as a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card
Recently I had a conversation with someone who claimed that Republicans had much more integrity than Democrats. He was, of course, a Republican. I maintained, in turn, that all politicians were tempted, and that many would, inevitably, lose their integrity, irrespective of party. After we had exchanged names and scandals for a period of time,…
Religion and God Mocked in Campaign
In an article titled Palin breaks with McCain on gay marriage amendment, I found the following: Palin also claimed religion and God had been “mocked” during the campaign, although she offered no evidence to support that. “Faith in God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart and that is…
Sacrifice then and Now
What meaning is evoked in people’s minds by the word “sacrifice?” One of the things I like to do when teaching is to simply write a word on the board that is commonly used in Biblical and/or Christian discourse and get people to give me various things that this word means to them. I try…
Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama
I know this is old news by now, but I particularly appreciated the tone of the endorsement. As one who has some policy disagreements with Barack Obama, but who nonetheless supports him on balance, I was glad to hear a nuanced endorsement. Here’s the video: PS: I particularly appreciated his comment on the question of…
So Long to Public Campaign Financing?
I had mixed emotions about Barack Obama’s choice not to accept public financing of campaigns. On the one hand, as an advocate of free speech, I believe that public financing and campaign spending limits are a threat to free speech precisely where it needs to be most free. But on the other hand, I dislike…
Valuable Summary Post on Bible Translation
Brian Russell of Real Meal Ministries has posted a summary on Bible translation that is quite good. It’s hard to keep things straight in a short, readable essay. (HT: Methodist Blogs Weekly Roundup by Allan Bevere.) I would note that he uses the popular rather than any of the technical definitions of “paraphrase,” but I…
Added Caching
Though the number of page views per day doesn’t seem to reflect it, I’ve had some database load problems, so I have added WP-SuperCache to this blog as well. As always, let me know about any problems you may have. This seems like overkill for the traffic on this blog, but if it works OK,…
Not About Joe the Plumber
The furor over this poor guy has illustrated to me one of the problems of presidential campaigning in America. It’s not about analyzing policies to determine who they impact, to what extent, and for what purpose, nor indeed it is about whether the policies will accomplish that purpose. It’s rather all about engaging people’s emotions….
Letter to Lifeway Christian Stores
Rev. Geoffrey Lentz is a local United Methodist pastor. Some years ago before he went to seminary and learned better he was a student of mine. He sent a letter to Lifeway Christian Stores regarding their placement of a magazine about women pastors behind the counter. He sent me a copy and graciously gave permission…
The McCain Campaign and Comebacks
In an article on MSNBC discussing how Obama is moving into some traditionally Republican territory, I found this quote: McCain, for his part, was returning to the argument that Obama’s credentials are too thin for the White House, his campaign and the Republican National Committee releasing ads focusing on experience and judgment. Here’s my problem…
Trying WP-Spamfree
I’m trying the WP-Spamfree plugin for a few days here. Please let me know if you have any problems posting comments. I’ll be watching the spam closely.
Quote of the Day – Elitism
… A political strategy that depreciates the value of ideas in favor of some vague notion of the superiority of common sense and homespun, simple virtue undermines the foundations of democracy, the standing of the nation in the world, and the economic and technological prospects of a country. From: Madison Powers at CQ Politics. But…
Believing in Private Charity
Today is Blog Action Day, and though I didn’t get around to formally participating, I’m going to write a short post on dealing with poverty from a Christian perspective. I’m feeling idealistic, so beware! Since I first started thinking about issues of poverty, way back when I was a teenager (and fish were just working…
Yeah, Do This!
John Bicknell of Congressional Quarterly says Drop the Debates, Try Conflict Instead. Good idea. All of it.
Albert Mohler Steps in It on Evolution
There are some basics about what evolution is and is not, and what the various positions of both creationists and evolutionists are, that everyone who steps into the debate should know. Some examples include the difference between a young earth and an old earth creationist. I’ve seen a few discussions in internet fora in which…
But Can a CONSERVATIVE Vote for Obama?
I find it rather easy to answer the question of whether a Christian can vote for Obama. To summarize, a Christian can be politically liberal or even socialist, for that matter, and would presumably vote his or her beliefs. There is no requirement that a Christian be an American style conservative. Thus it should be…