Without doubt, the job of president of the United States can easily drive someone one to drink — or to his knees in prayer. It’s right there in history. Lincoln’s prayers during the Civil War are well-known, and the line extends to Richard Nixon (who reportedly dragged Henry Kissinger to his knees for a joint prayer at the height of Watergate) past Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush. Now it is President Barack Obama’s turn in the religious spotlight, thanks to... Read more
Way back when I was in college, soon after the cooling of the earth’s crust, the always confident folks at the University of Texas (rivals in the region would use a different adjective) fired an interesting salvo at a key rival. The marketers for the Tea Sippers created a burnt orange and white car window decal that simply said “The University.” The message was clearly targeted at the humble Aggies over at Texas A&M University in their semi-military fortress. There... Read more
Case closed. The Associated Press has decided, apparently, that stories need to include only side. Stories about same-sex marriage, that is. Earlier this month, I highlighted a doozy of an AP puff piece out of Salt Lake City on some Mormons challenging their church’s stance on homosexuality. Now comes another AP puff piece — this one datelined Harrisburg, Pa. To be fair to AP, I should point out that the latest story does include two sides — New Jersey same-sex marriage... Read more
What is the Mona Lisa worth? At the time of their destruction by the Taliban, what were the Buddhas of Bamiyam worth, in terms of culture, history and money? With that in mind, let me ask this simple question: What is the Christ of Sinai icon worth? Yes, it is priceless. Yes, for Orthodox believers it is the icon from which all other icons flowed, like the ripples emerging after one stone as been thrown into a still pond. Yes,... Read more
There is little new under the sun when it comes to anti-theistic arguments. Whether it be high minded philosophical critique or rabble rousing anti-clericalism, what was old is now new. Richard Ostling observed in his Get Religion post “Is the ‘New Atheism’ any different from old atheism?” the content of the criticism remains the same, but the tone has changed. The new atheism has taken a: [A] tactical lurch toward emotion-laden partisanship and take-no-prisoners rhetoric that might make a Fundamentalist... Read more
In one of my favorite scenes in the original “Shrek” movie, the title character explains to Donkey that “there’s a lot more to ogres than people think.” “Example?” Donkey responds. “Example … uh … ogres are like onions,” Shrek says, holding up an onion that Donkey sniffs. More of the dialogue: Donkey: “They stink?” Shrek: “Yes. … No!” Donkey: “Oh, they make you cry?” Shrek: “No!” Donkey: “Oh, you leave ‘em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin’ little white hairs.” Shrek (peeling an onion): “No! Layers.... Read more
Let’s start the day with a quick thought from Luke Russert of NBC News, who recently sat down with David Brody of The Christian Broadcasting Network — the rather rare reporter in the Christian television world who often talks with real, live national leaders and thinkers. Russert, of course, is the son of the late Tim Russert of Meet The Press fame, who an outspoken Catholic and quite respected by activists and leaders on both sides of American politics. Why?... Read more
Let’s carefully think our way — one step at a time — through this rather outlandish little story from The New York Times, the one that ran under the headline, “Funeral for Ex-Nazi in Italy Is Halted as Protesters Clash.” It would be hard to imagine a more controversial figure in the context of modern Europe than an unrepentant Nazi. Thus, using the logic often associated with the powers that be at the Times, this man must have something to... Read more
A Washington Post sports story caught my attention with this intriguing headline: Faith and football collide on area public high school fields The 1,800-word story, published this week, starts with a revealing anecdote: Suitland football Coach Ed Shields called his team to the middle of the field after a mid-September practice and told the players the three-hour session was a waste. They would have to be better tomorrow, he screamed. Then he told them to pray, before storming off the field. Every player took... Read more
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Pay no attention to Rand Paul (or Christian persecution!)
A Washington Post Politics news blog on Senator Rand Paul’s appearance before the Value Voters Summit in Washington last week has left me perplexed. Reading the article entitled “Rand Paul: ‘There’s a worldwide war on Christianity’”tells me little about what the Kentucky senator said. Nor am I clear as to what a news blog is for. Is it a vehicle for a reporter to express an opinion about the news, or does this new format permit a newspaper to increase... Read more