December 24, 2013

This is more of a “Performance of Social Justice” than it is a “Hymn of Social Justice.”  My first Christmas related post was about a fun take on the Christmas Truce of 1914.  Now I would like to end my Christmas posts for this year with a serious take on the same event. As a recap, On Christmas Eve, 1914, soldiers all along the Western Front laid down their weapons and, for an all too temporary time, they went against... Read more

December 23, 2013

Fox News loves to talk about the “War on Christmas”.  Every year from Thanksgiving to December 25th they whip their audience into a ratings frenzy by talking all about how anyone who doesn’t wish you a “Merry Christmas” in the exact way that they do has surely declared war on Christmas and even on the baby Jesus himself.  And I am ashamed to say that I used to believe them.  Now, I realize that they are wrong. Why do I... Read more

December 23, 2013

I believe in Santa Claus. He is not real, but he has spiritual significance for me. In this way, Santa is like Job. I do not think that Job was a real person, but I do think that Job is one of of the most powerful books of the Bible. Symbolism is very powerful. Watching A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version…of course), I realized that, for me, Santa Clause is the Ghost of Christmas Present. Now, I am... Read more

December 22, 2013

It was Christmas 1981. I was in 3rd grade and I loved Star Wars.  That year all of the 3rd grade classes at the Maeser Elementary school came together to sing a Christmas concert.  Each student was given a mimeographed booklet with the words to all of the songs in it so that we could read and memorize them (if you do not know what a mimeograph is ask some one who was born in the early 70’s or before). ... Read more

December 20, 2013

“I’m in tears.” D. Christian Harrison told Approaching Justice earlier this afternoon, as he took in the news that a U.S. District Court in Utah ruled today that Utah’s 2004 gay marriage ban was unconstitutional. “I’m sitting at my desk in tears,” Harrison continued. “Today, Utah becomes the 18th state in our country to recognize gay marriage. And it happened because people stood up and said ‘this is not right’ — people like my friends Derek Kitchen and his boyfriend... Read more

December 20, 2013

Okay, it is actually Rob Halford and his supergroup. But Halford is best known as the lead singer of Judas Priest. Between now and Christmas, I will be sharing here at Approaching Justice some of my favorite renditions of Christmas songs. The studio version of Halford singing “We Three Kings” is on my iPod rotation year-round. Take a listen:   As you will notice, Halford is joined by Slash on the guitar and Father Christmas on bass. Or maybe the... Read more

December 19, 2013

I just received word from Shannon Martin, a senior director of publicity with TLC, that the show “My Five Wives” featuring the Williams family has been picked up as a series. The nine episode season is set to premiere on March 9. The debut/pilot episode aired back in September. According to The Hollywood Reporter, that episode “averaged 1.9 million total viewers.” On Tuesday, Approaching Justice reported about the response of Brady Williams to Friday’s Brown v. Buhman ruling which struck down significant... Read more

December 19, 2013

The Challenge of Honesty is a compilation of five essays and twelve and devotionals that were written and delivered by Frances Lee Menlove over the course of forty seven years. The titular essay is the book’s oldest, having been written by Menlove as a part of the inaugural issue of “Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought” in 1966. The most recent essays are two which were written specifically for this volume titled “Untangling Faith and Belief: A Modest ‘Trammel Reduction’... Read more

December 17, 2013

Brady Williams, a progressive philosophy student and practicing polygamist whose family was featured on TLC’s My Five Wives, views the recent ruling in the case of Brown v. Buhman, also known as the Sister Wives case, as opportunity for the polygamist community to change their ways. "We are no longer considered criminals by the courts," wrote Williams in a statement he made on Facebook and shared with Approaching Justice. "Let’s prove that we are deserving of that assessment by abandoning... Read more

December 16, 2013

“I already thought three was too many,” Todd whispered to me in reference to the normal minimum of three hymns that we have in LDS Sacrament meetings (our main Sunday service). Todd is my 13-year-old son and I love hearing his commentary on the world and our shared experiences. Yesterday, we had a musical testimony meeting at church. It is an annual tradition in our ward to have a testimony meeting where anyone from the congregation can walk up to... Read more




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