WILL THE WORLD END ON SEPTEMBER 28? The Blood Moon, the Stock Market and the “Rapture”

Last updated on: September 21, 2015 at 9:07 am By Kathy Schiffer

“The sky is falling!” cried Henny Penny in Grimm’s Fairy Tales after an acorn landed on his head. This week in Utah, some stores are having trouble keeping their shelves stocked with emergency supplies. That’s because some conservatives have drunk the apocalyptic Kool-aid. They’ve listened to End-Times prophets who claim that the “Blood Moon”–the lunar eclipse–will mark the beginning of the end of life on our planet. Writing about it in the National Catholic Register, I explain what’s been happening: Could we be... Read more

Amazing Grace’s Brief Run on Broadway Draws to a Close

Last updated on: September 19, 2015 at 10:26 am By Kathy Schiffer

A few weeks ago, writing over at the National Catholic Register, I told the story of a new Broadway musical, Amazing Grace. The script was the work of first-time playwright Christopher Smith, a former police officer, and told the story of John Newton, who penned the classic hymn “Amazing Grace.” In August, I wrote: Young John Newton was familiar with the sea: He was only 11 years old when he first set sail with his father. By the age of 18,... Read more

The World Goes On! Some Good News, Some Bad News

Last updated on: September 18, 2015 at 2:32 pm By Kathy Schiffer

I’ve been away from the computer lately–but not away from the news. Just thought I’d pop in here to comment on a few items that caught my eye: HOUSE VOTED TO BLOCK PLANNED PARENTHOOD FUNDING It seems so obvious: The federal government should immediately defund Planned Parenthood. We’ve seen Planned Parenthood executives and abortionists exposed as the heartless murderers and scofflaws they are–slicing open the head of a breathing, moving fetus; selling aborted baby parts for profit. Why wouldn’t any fair-minded... Read more

Martin Luther and the “Epistle of Straw”

Last updated on: September 15, 2015 at 9:44 am By Kathy Schiffer

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, ” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not... Read more

90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN: Now at a Theater Near You!

Last updated on: September 14, 2015 at 1:19 am By Kathy Schiffer

American Moviegoers, if you didn’t see 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN on its opening weekend, get to a theater near you! Giving Films’ new movie opened in theaters nationwide on September 11. THE STORY The movie tells the story of Don Piper, a Baptist pastor who was in a deadly accident on January 25, 1989, when the Ford Escort he was driving was struck head-on by an 18-wheel tractor-trailer while crossing a narrow bridge. By the time rescue workers arrived at the Texas bridge where... Read more

Susan Sarandon’s Bizarre “Sacrament” of Ashes

Last updated on: September 13, 2015 at 7:49 pm By Kathy Schiffer

“For everyone who’s joined in the sacrament tonight, I’m really happy to hear, there’s a lot of you, and he’d be so happy to know this is going on here.” That’s actress Susan Sarandon, speaking about processing through the festival at the 2015 Burning Man, the clothing-optional festival in Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, carrying the ashes of the LSD advocate Timothy Leary. Depending on which celebrity news magazine you read, you learn that Sarandon either (a) drank Leary’s ashes in a kind... Read more

An Office Depot Counter-Argument: Why a Boycott Is Sometimes a Good Thing

Last updated on: September 13, 2015 at 8:17 am By Kathy Schiffer

Yesterday I told you that it wasn’t worth the effort to “boycott” a company like Office Depot, except under extreme circumstances. As a general rule, I said, I am an opponent of the “Boycott!” threat that pops up so regularly on social media. I think that the “Boycott Them!” meme, like its more reckless cousin the “Sue Them!” meme, is (a) a waste of effort, and (b) ineffective, and (c) paints a very negative, whiny picture of Christians or whatever special interest group is throwing rocks... Read more

Office Depot Apologizes. It’s Okay to Buy Paper Clips!

Last updated on: September 12, 2015 at 1:02 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Breathe a sigh of relief. It’s okay to buy your paper clips and printer ink at Office Depot. The retailer of office supplies has issued an apology to Maria Goldstein. Actually, I’m kidding–that’s a bit of satire there! Despite the bluster you hear around the Internet whenever Someone doesn’t like what Someone Else does, I would have shopped at Office Depot anyway because it’s near my house. As a general rule, I am an opponent of the “Boycott!” threat that pops... Read more

Seventy-Seven Times. A Message for America on September 11

Last updated on: September 11, 2015 at 8:51 am By Kathy Schiffer

Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Depending on where you look, you may see Jesus’ words translated differently, as “seventy times seven times.” That, by my calculations, would be 490 times. The New American Bible, like the Jerusalem Bible, says “seventy-seven times.” However, a previous translation of the New American said... Read more

“I CAN’T SIN—I NEVER EVEN LEAVE THE HOUSE!”—An Examination of Conscience for Seniors

Last updated on: September 12, 2015 at 12:22 pm By Kathy Schiffer

“I don’t need to go to confession!” said the elderly woman. “I never even leave the house! How could I ever commit any sins?” Those who knew her best and who loved her anyway glanced skyward, sighed audibly, then checked just to see whether everyone was catching this hubris. Sure enough, half a dozen eyerolls confirmed what we all knew only too well: that this declaration of sanctity was coming from someone who was too quick to criticize, to manipulate,... Read more