Charles Krauthhammer defends Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which Democrats are decrying in apocalyptic terms for the way it slashes the budget, even though that will not be enough to balance the budget until 2040! That’s how bad our deficit is! The conventional line of attack on Ryan’s plan is already taking shape: It cuts poverty programs and “privatizes” Medicare in order to cut taxes for the rich. Major demagoguery on all three counts. (1) The reforms of the poverty programs… Read more
Meliorists vs. Traditionalists, vs. Confessionalists
April 11, 2011 By Gene Veith
104 Comments
Gerald McDermott at First Things offers a fascinating discussion of a current battle going on in evangelical theology: Evangelical theology has long been divided between those who emphasize human freedom to choose salvation (Arminians) and those who stress God’s sovereignty in the history of salvation (the Reformed). Now this old division has been overshadowed by a larger division between new opposing camps we may call the Meliorists and the Traditionists. The former think we must improve and sometimes change substantially… Read more
Who won in the budget showdown?
April 11, 2011 By Gene Veith
28 Comments
The Republicans, according to this analysis, got the better of the budget negotiations: HR1 was originally to seek spending cuts of $32 billion until Tea Party conservatives insisted on more than $ 60 billion. House Speaker John Boehner won more cuts than he originally sought and got the Senate to agree to votes to defund the health care reform law and groups like the nation’s largest abortion provider Planned Parenthood – once votes Senate Majority leader Harry Reid said he’d… Read more
Stinkbug Armageddon
April 11, 2011 By Gene Veith
14 Comments
I hearby nominate David Williams for the Pulitzer Prize for Letters to the Editor, if there were such a thing. He wrote this letter to our small town newspaper on a problem that plagues our state: Folks, we are doomed. Crooked Run Farm, along with every farmer in Loudoun, now has a bigger enemy even than the developers of Purcellville. I went last Thursday to the 4-H Fairgrounds for a presentation, sponsored by Southern States, on the stink bug invasion…. Read more
Shutdown averted
April 8, 2011 By Gene Veith
28 Comments
Republicans and Democrats made a deal at the last minute that will keep the government running: Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have reached an agreement that would avert a federal government shutdown, yielding more spending cuts for Republicans while giving Democrats a key win on an issue related to abortion rights, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office announced Friday night. The deal to fund the federal government for the next five months will include $39 billion in spending cuts… Read more
The fastest-growing denomination
April 8, 2011 By Gene Veith
117 Comments
That would be the Seventh-Day Adventists: Rest on the Sabbath. Heed Old Testament dietary codes. And be ready for Jesus to return at any moment. If these practices sound quaint or antiquated, think again. They’re hallmarks of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the fastest-growing Christian denomination in North America. Newly released data show Seventh-day Adventism growing by 2.5% in North America, a rapid clip for this part of the world, where Southern Baptists and mainline denominations, as well as other church… Read more
A perspective on the shutdown
April 8, 2011 By Gene Veith
28 Comments
Former Bush official Peter Wehner offers reasons why Republicans should not let the government shut down: On the matter of a possible government shutdown, this needs to be said: The impasse is the product of a striking failure of governance by President Obama and his party. Republicans are winning the fiscal debate. A government shutdown could cause a backlash.The reason we’re debating the 2011 budget several months into the fiscal year is because for the first time in almost four… Read more
The Issues, Etc., Marathon
April 8, 2011 By Gene Veith
4 Comments
Today is your chance to see what everyone has been talking about: The radio show, now online, Issues, Etc. is having a 24-hour marathon, starting at 4:00 p.m. CT/5:00 p.m. ET today. The theme will be books of the Bible, and host Todd Wilken will be discussing them with a number of solid Bible scholars. Read more
Mercury, up close
April 8, 2011 By Gene Veith
8 Comments
NASA’s Messenger space probe has flown by Mercury, the smallest planet and the one closest to the Sun, sending back pictures. Read more
Shall we shut down the government? Again?
April 7, 2011 By Gene Veith
84 Comments
As of this moment, Republicans and Democrats in Congress are at an impasse over the 2011 budget. Budget hawks in the Republican party have insisted on cutting President Obama’s spending plan. Democrats have agreed to some $30 billion in cuts, but that is not enough for a key segment of Republicans. If a budget doesn’t pass, the government shuts down on Friday. (Well, “essential services” won’t, but still. . . .) You may recall another time when Republicans scored a… Read more
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