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The next step in open communion

April 5, 2012 By Gene Veith

In an effort to be even more inclusive than they already are, a diocese in the Episcopal Church has dropped baptism as a requirement for someone to receive Holy Communion. The measure will go before the entire church body this summer. From a conservative Anglican site: The latest proposed element to chip away at core Anglican beliefs is the Diocese of East Oregon’s desire to offer Holy Communion to anyone who approaches the altar rail with their hands upraised. Baptism… Read more

It’s Romney

April 5, 2012 By Gene Veith

120 Comments

Mitt Romney swept the Maryland, D.C., and Wisconsin primaries. The fat lady is singing. It is hard to imagine a scenario in which Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, or Ron Paul could stop Romney from getting the Republican presidential nomination. Republicans might as well accept the fact that Romney will be their nominee. Are you Republicans who initially opposed him because he didn’t seem like an authentic conservative or because you worry about his Mormonism reconciled to this reality? Or are… Read more

Opening Day!

April 5, 2012 By Gene Veith

36 Comments

The baseball season begins again! Hope springs eternal. I add reading box scores to my morning routine. Every season has its drama, intrigues, and some team that comes out of nowhere. Please report on the state of your team. What are your predictions? Read more

That eye-on-the-object look

April 4, 2012 By Gene Veith

24 Comments

W. H. Auden–another major poet who converted to Christianity–has written perceptively about vocation. This is from his poem entitled “Sext,” part of his Horae Canonicae, poems on the canonical hours on Good Friday. (It gets a little obscure towards the end, but he is referring to the medieval guilds, praying to the patrons of their particular crafts, each of which was thought of as a “mystery.” The last stanza ties to the hour (“noon,” which is when “Sext” was prayed)… Read more

The power of a tornado

April 4, 2012 By Gene Veith

24 Comments

At least a dozen tornadoes hit Dallas and northern Texas yesterday. Here is a video showing a funnel tossing semi trucks and trailers high, high into the air. View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com. Read more

Jimmy Carter vs. Abortion

April 4, 2012 By Gene Veith

86 Comments

Former president Jimmy Carter is calling on the Democratic Party to change its pro-abortion stance: Appearing on the radio talk show of conservative radio host Laura Ingraham today, former President Jimmy Carter said he believes the Democratic Party should moderate its position on abortion, which it currently supports without limits and funded at taxpayer expense. Carter said toning down the stridently pro-abortion position would help win back Republicans who abandoned the Democrats because of abortion and other liberal social issue… Read more

Obama forgets Marbury v. Madison

April 4, 2012 By Gene Veith

52 Comments

It’s refreshing to see Democrats worried about an “activist” court, since they haven’t complained about justices “legislating from the bench” when they advance their pet issues. But President Obama’s recent rants against the prospect of the Supreme Court striking down Obamacare when it hasn’t even happened yet–unless someone leaked their secret vote–is strangely oblivious to what the Supreme Court does all the time. From a Wall Street Journal editorial: President Obama is a former president of the Harvard Law Review… Read more

The vocation of card sharking?

April 3, 2012 By Gene Veith

84 Comments

Recently, we discussed what occupations would be off-limits for Christians–that is to say, not a true calling from God, a.k.a. “vocation.” We talked a little about blackjack dealers. Well, what do you think about this, a group of card counters who give the money they win to “ministry”? By day, Mark Treas leads worship and baptizes new believers. By night, he plays blackjack at Caesars Palace and other Vegas casinos. It’s all in a day’s work for Treas, who calls… Read more

Luther and the Euro crisis

April 3, 2012 By Gene Veith

16 Comments

From Lutheranism to its depths to Lutheranism in its shallows. . . The BBC, of all media, has a feature on the influence of Luther and Lutheranism on Germany’s reactions to the current economic crisis in Europe. This is at best a cultural influence, to be sure, not a theological one, but it’s worth noting, especially for a nation whose word for “job” is “calling” (Beruf), a legacy of the doctrine of vocation: Exactly 500 years ago, one of Europe’s… Read more

Obamacare defenders taken by surprise

April 3, 2012 By Gene Veith

90 Comments

Even fans of Obamacare are admitting how poorly the administration lawyers handled the argument before the Supreme Court. It is as if they didn’t anticipate the opposing arguments, much less prepare an answer for them. It is as if they didn’t even conceive of how anyone could disagree with the goodness of the law. From Rand Simberg (links to the quotes are in the linked article): Having seen the transcripts of Tuesday’s hearing before the Supreme Court of the United… Read more