Every time there is a mass shooting, and apparently this is the new normal, the question of prayer is raised. It has become evident that too many Republican politicians refuse to enact any meaningful legislation to combat gun violence and instead only offer “thoughts and prayers”. The phrase has been a stand in for doing […]
The season of Epiphany began January 6th and continues until Ash Wednesday. Epiphany, in the Greek, could be likened to a manifestation, a striking appearance, or a vision of God. In the Western Church, an epiphany is had by the wise men, who came bearing gifts to the infant Jesus. And so Epiphany is inaugurated […]
So a discussion ensued over the meaning of Columbus Day, not just it’s meaning, but a broader discussion on our national symbols, institutions, and myths. Are there common stories left that bind us as a people? Can we develop better stories than we’ve relied on in the past? Can we re-envision the old stories? Or […]
My family LOVES fresh berries. I know, you don’t care, but bear with me for a few minutes. The local community college has a “U Pick” garden. Among their fresh fruits are rows and rows of raspberries, both read and golden, and blackberries. They give you a bucket and you can pick all that you […]
Rod Dreher has a remarkable way of both identifying the big issues of our time and then developing prescriptions that cannot hold, given his own stances. The one I wanted to focus on this line from a recent essay. The Other America: The America of a society that has lost its bindings — to […]
Sanders: You think your statement that you put into that publication, they do not know God because they rejected Jesus Christ, His Son, and they stand condemned, do you think that’s respectful of other religions? Vought: Senator, I wrote a post based on being a Christian and attending a Christian school that has a statement […]
A recent piece in Daily Kos writes t’s difficult to see why any believer, fundamentalist or “moderate,” should receive special treatment ― especially when even the most moderate and “progressive” Christians are nurturing the xenophobic, racist, uncharitable and decidedly “un-Christian” America we are finding ourselves in today. And make no mistake: there is no […]
SO, after the tragic bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, the Anti Islam/anti Muslim posts have already started showing up. Here are my 2 cents: For the last 5 years I have worked 45 to 50 hours a week as a job counselor in Southern Idaho. About 30 to 40 percent of […]
We are in the season of Easter, Eastertide. For 50 days, we have a chance to reflect on the meaning of resurrection, in our life and in our faith. Pentecost, from both Greek and Latin means the 50th day, which celebrates the beginning of the church, when the disciples in the upper room are given […]
In lieu of the critiques Rod Dreher offers against modernity, which he sees playing out in American culture, including the increasing acceptance of LGBT people, the dramatic rise of the nones, and the failure of our society to agree on a common good, he offers a proposal: the Benedict Option. The Benedict Option is […]
Rod Dreher, an Eastern Orthodox writer, has written the Benedict Option. A book of counsel for fellow social conservatives, in particular those he considers small o orthodox. That counsel is partially based on responding to the shift in our society towards LGBT inclusion, the rise of the nones, and the political fragmentation of a society that no […]
Andrew Walker, Director of Policy Studies at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, gives us a dichotomy. We can believe that there is a final justice, an ultimate ordering of society, of life. The question is, does it happen in this world? Or does it happen in the next world? […]
