Do you believe that what you are doing in life is “right”? Do you truly believe that God is “with you” as you struggle through Covid-time and the attacks on our democracy? Does God still speak to individuals??? Those are simple, yes or no questions. And I’m not asking for a “feeling” response: “I feel like what I do is right”; “I feel like God is different for everyone.” Such postmodernly qualifications are unhelpful . I would like to know... Read more
I’ve gotten some wildly different readings & responses to this series so far. I’m encouraged by some of the response; but frankly frightened by some of it. The most violent reactions come from solid citizen church folk. Allow me to parse this insight for a moment… Some of the negative pushback come from those on the Right, many of whom are Trump supporters and some of whom are actively engaged in propagating dubious claims about the election and so forth.... Read more
What is the President really good at? What catapulted this former TV star and real estate mogul into the world’s most powerful position? What is Donald Trump’s greatest talent, as finally revealed by the events of January 6th?? Opinions vary, and my own response, post-1/6, will come at the end of this post. First, let’s take a look at the findings of a new biography of the philosopher Hannah Arendt to see if we can figure this out. I take... Read more
How bad has it gotten? Well, the CEO of Parler, a social media platform popular among conservatives, told Mediaite that it removed a post from attorney Lin Wood calling for Vice President Mike Pence to be executed by “firing squads. “Take a moment and think about that: VP Pence, a true believer if there ever was one. Wood may not represent the views of most people on the National Mall last week — but he represents something. I’d personally like... Read more
“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long.” In the midst of one of the most upsetting television days in America since 9/11, as the utter disaster & desecration unfolded on the grounds of the US Capitol, symbolic of our nation’s democratic process: this is what our Leader had to say. Let that sink... Read more
People are noting on Facebook their favorite carols. Favorite holiday movies. That sort of thing. And yes, I’d like you to go to the comments below and list one or two of your favorites, before reading on…. Please? Oddly, the word “carol” is widely misunderstood. It has come to mean a song of religious devotion or worship in the prase Christmas carol. Thus, there are many holiday or Christmas songs that are not “carols,” per se: songs like “The Christmas... Read more
Do you cry over movies? Me too. I admit it: the endings of Field of Dreams and Shawshank Redemption get me every time, even though I’ve seen each a dozen times or more. Good to recall: even Jesus wept. How about holiday movies? Last night we saw Joyeux Noel: not for the faint of heart, I assure you. But it’s hard not to get choked up to see how one soldier embraces his dead brother on the battlefield. Or to... Read more
The holidays are here! Even in the midst of Covid-time, I’m thinking of old friends, planning Zoom sessions to chat or play trivia, and just reconnecting. Christmas and advent, a time of hope, is also a time to reconnect, catch up, and look forward. I miss a lot of my old friends, and I want them back. Some of them have become rather unrecognizable, however. I am blaming our overheated and rancorous public political sphere for most of that. Sadly,... Read more
Things are getting stranger in the current meltdown of Trumpianity: this report on the “Jericho March” on the Mall yesterday (12/13/2020) is from a very conservative and orthodox Christian, Rod Dreher, editor of the American Conservative. Sadly I guess for many of the attendees, Dreher would still be considered in league with Satan and the Deep State. He described the event’s purpose: “It was a Trump rally by Christians (and sympathetic Jews) designed to mimic the Biblical story of the... Read more
In The Fellowship of the Ring, a particular line resonates with me. One character, Frodo, said to another, Gandalf, “I wish none of this had happened.” And Gandalf responded, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Embed from Getty Images Now, FINALLY nearing the end of this odd and horrendous year of 2020,... Read more
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