Weekly Meanderings

Kris and I will be in Perth Australia this August; I will be speaking at Vose Seminary. More details later.

Our condolences to one of this blog’s regular contributors, Michael Kruse, on the death of his mother.

Nielus Niemandt, a church theologian in South Africa, has a course into which we can enter and participate. Check it out.

I often refer in my classes and to colleagues to Aquinas as “The Medieval Guy” (MG, for short). I just saw that one can purchase the whole of The Summa for 89 cents — e-form from Amazon: Summa Theologica (complete) (mobi). Go for it.

Speaking of classes, one of our students and my co-author, Hauna Ondrey, is off to Bogota to do some teaching as part of her internship at the seminary.

Timothy Dalrymple on Tyler Clementi: “Every Christian should make certain that every person, absolutely every person, gay or straight, knows that he or she is thoroughly loved by God. Every person, absolutely every person, gay or straight, should know that he or she is created in the image of the Most High, and that he or she has hope, ultimate and undying hope, in God’s abundant grace.”

Darrel Falk, on the Big Tent: “We’ll exist within the tent together for awhile. Eventually, I think even the fundamentalists will come to see that they need to allow science books in their library and fundamentalism will undergo its own evolution. Until then we can all be patient with one another. Personally, I have much to learn from my fundamentalist sojourners—they know many things about serving Christ that I have yet to learn. Let’s gather in close within the tent. Isaiah, after all, put it this way: “…over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” (Isaiah 4:5,6). I want to experience that, and I want to experience it together.”

Karen knows the “dark cloud.” Jim knows “gracious.” Abby knows aging together. Christine knows … domestic abuse. Ted knows the Table.

Is yoga demonic? (Ask Eugene, not me.) Is work sin? (Ask Josh, not me.)

Meanderings in the News

1. I’m surprised by the full coverage of Ms. Geller.

2. Pamela Paul: “Capt. Stephanie Bryn, a military officer overseeing the government’s “Stop Bullying Now!” program, is initiating a campaign geared toward 5- to 8-year-old children this fall. “Girl relational bullying has been under the radar,” she said. But when the campaign surveyed its 80 partner organizations, they unequivocally said children were aging up, making bullying pervasive in the early elementary years. “We realized we need to address this in kindergarten.”

3. Anthony Faiola on anti-immigration policies, esp concerning the Roma: “Across the continent, governments are boldly throwing up new barriers to immigration, increasing enforcement and targeting groups such as the Roma, who are also known as Gypsies. Even in some of the most progressive nations in the region, such as Sweden, voters are showing new support for ultra-right politicians whose platforms center on a tougher line on immigration.”

4. John J. Pitney, Jr.: “There you have it: The Democrats are in such bad shape that they have to rally people who are off their meds.”

5. Nick Kristof’s religion quiz. “The New York Times reported recently on a Pew Research Center poll in which religious people turned out to be remarkably uninformed about religion. Almost half of Catholics didn’t understand Communion. Most Protestants didn’t know that Martin Luther started the Reformation. Almost half of Jews didn’t realize Maimonides was Jewish. And atheists were among the best informed about religion.”

6. Global Hunger Index: top ten and bottom ten.

7. Boomerang …

8. Mr Brooks, this business is not only for the courageous, it’s also now for the honest: “Now it is common for people in Illinois to say that both Kirk and Giannoulias deserve to lose. The race has been nicknamed the liar-liar campaign. So this is not a fairy tale about a good man going into public service. It is a reality tale about why most serious people don’t want to go into politics at all. The system will inflame your weaknesses (Kirk’s mistakes were serious and he has apologized for them). Then the bad will come to define you, and the good you’ve achieved will be forgotten. Few people try to weigh the good against the bad and reach some measured judgment. Instead, as David Frum once observed, they regard candidates the way adolescents regard parents: if they are not perfect then they must be irredeemable. The reality is, Kirk has led a life that is extremely impressive in most respects. The oddest thing about him is that he’s willing to go through this process. And the larger question is: In the years ahead, how many other talented people will be willing to do it, too?”

9. 5 Myths about Sarah Palin. (To be read by all progressives.)

10. Wangari Maathai: “In degrading the environment, therefore, we degrade ourselves.”

Meanderings in Sports