The Hobbit movie will be released on December 14. That is to say, the first installment will be released. The plans have been for the story to be told in two parts, with the second movie coming out in the following year. But recently it has been reported that director Peter Jackson, who gave us the Lord of the Rings trilogy on film, wants to turn the Hobbit into a trilogy also. Tolkien fans have been worried that stretching the… Read more
A soldier’s vocation
August 9, 2012 By Gene Veith
46 Comments
Browsing on the LCMS website and looking for something else, I came across this interview with Gen. John W. Vessey, whose distinguished military career including not only combat in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, but serving as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Reagan. He reflects very perceptively on the doctrine of vocation and gives some interesting stories of practicing the Christian faith in the military. It turns out, the interview is from the latest Lutheran Witness. … Read more
Another mass shooting, this time by a fascist rocker
August 8, 2012 By Gene Veith
126 Comments
Another mass shooting, this time at a Sikh temple in Wade Page in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, just outside of Milwaukee. Six people were killed and three were wounded, including a policeman who is in critical condition. The killer, who was fatally shot by a police officer, was Wade Michael Page, a fairly well-known guitarist in the fascist rock scene. Some of you may remember that in my book on fascism I discuss the fascist aesthetic–the thrill of violence, the release… Read more
To “like” or not to “like”?
August 8, 2012 By Gene Veith
78 Comments
It has been suggested that we add to this blog the ability to register “likes” and “dislikes,” thumbs up or thumbs down on comments, with tabulation of the responses. Other blogs do this, and something like it is a fixture of Facebook. The reasoning is that this would give “lurkers” the ability to participate by registering their responses to other people’s comments. It would also add to the sense of community. Then again, there is the BAD part of communities;… Read more
How Quantum Physics refutes materialism
August 8, 2012 By Gene Veith
14 Comments
Physics professor Stephen M. Barr explains how quantum physics makes the world view of materialism–the assumption of most of today’s atheists–scientifically impossible. Materialism is an atheistic philosophy that says that all of reality is reducible to matter and its interactions. It has gained ground because many people think that it’s supported by science. They think that physics has shown the material world to be a closed system of cause and effect, sealed off from the influence of any non-physical realities… Read more
Who best approaches the spirit of Bach?
August 7, 2012 By Gene Veith
24 Comments
Masaaki Suzuki is a distinguished harpsichordist, organist, Yale music professor, and conductor who founded and directs the Bach Collegium Japan. He is also a devout Christian. Many thanks to Paul McCain and the various people he credits for unearthing this quotation from the liner notes to the first album of Bach Collegium Japan. He is responding to the question of how the Japanese can play Bach, whose music comes out of a very different culture. He says that better than… Read more
The Gaffability Index
August 7, 2012 By Gene Veith
40 Comments
Ruth Marcus observes how our political discourse–or at least the media coverage of that discourse–has become little more than a tallying of gaffes and faux-gaffes: The 2012 presidential campaign has become a festival of gaffe-hopping. The candidates skitter along on the surface of politics, issuing vague pronouncements or taking predictable shots at each other. But these seem like increasingly brief interludes, mere campaign busywork as each side awaits and — abetted by an attention-deficit-disordered media — pounces on the opponents’… Read more
Romney’s speech in Poland
August 7, 2012 By Gene Veith
26 Comments
To illustrate the point of the “gaffe” post, what did you learn from media coverage of Mitt Romney’s trip to England, Poland, and Israel? That he made people mad at him by questioning England’s Olympic preparedness and Palestinian culture? Anything else? Did you know he made a rather substantive speech in Poland outlining some of his key principles? Whether you are for him or against him, I would think that would be worth at least some coverage. Here is an… Read more
Pride vs. Gratitude
August 6, 2012 By Gene Veith
42 Comments
When Gabby Douglas won the gold medal for individual women’s gymnastics, the first thing she did was shift the glory: “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” These are the first words 16-year-old gymnast Gabrielle Douglas tweeted after she won the all around gold medal at the London Olympics yesterday. On the stadium floor, Douglas also told a reporter that ”the glory goes up to Him, and the… Read more
Give fetuses anesthetics before aborting them
August 6, 2012 By Gene Veith
56 Comments
On Thursday, Arizona’s law forbidding abortion after 20 weeks went into effect. It prohibits abortions performed after the point at which science shows that the fetus can feel pain. The Arizona law was upheld by a court, and similar “fetal pain” bills are in the works in other states. A small victory, perhaps, but it does underscore the fact that the fetus in the womb is a human being. But pro-abortion zealots cannot tolerate even this small concession. Harvard law… Read more
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