Are We Entering A New Era of Politics In Which Facts No Longer Matter?

Last updated on: August 31, 2012 at 11:03 am By Tim Suttle

There’s an interesting article by Michael Cooper in the NYTimes today about the way the candidates are twisting and distorting reality. Does truth really matter anymore? Cooper seems to suggest that lies only matter if you reach the tipping point and people start to think that lying is your defining characteristic. What do you think? Representative Paul D. Ryan used his convention speech on Wednesday to fault President Obama for failing to act on a deficit-reduction plan that he himself had helped kill. He... Read more

Final Thoughts on the GOP Convention – “You don’t really love that guy, do you baby?”

Last updated on: August 31, 2012 at 7:43 am By Tim Suttle

Back when I was in college my girlfriend (now my wife), and I broke up for a brief time, and a guy in my fraternity started calling her asking her out. That’s what Mitt Romney was doing last night at the GOP Convention, and he made an incredibly strong case for a break up. “He doesn’t really love you, baby… I love you.” Striking the traditional populist tone, Romney laid out the case for why the country should break up... Read more

Mitt Romney’s 2012 RNC Speech Transcript

Last updated on: August 30, 2012 at 9:41 pm By Tim Suttle

Mr. Chairman, delegates. I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America. I do so with humility, deeply moved by the trust you have placed in me. It is a great honor. It is an even greater responsibility. Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future. By my side, I have chosen a man with a big heart from a small town. He represents the best of America, a man... Read more

A Few Thoughts on Day 2 of the GOP Convention – Paul Ryan Made a Huge Tactical Error

Last updated on: August 30, 2012 at 8:47 am By Tim Suttle

Paul Ryan’s speech was the center of attention last night. He riled up the crowd and went after Obama. What he did not do was stick to the truth. After his speech I have decided that we not only need federally fund elections, but every person running for office should have to swear an oath before every political speech. Speeches should have the legal weight of a deposition. If Ryan would have taken an oath to tell the truth last... Read more

I Am Not My Brother’s Keeper – And Other Lessons from Terence Fretheim

Last updated on: August 29, 2012 at 10:15 am By Tim Suttle

So I’m auditing this course at NTS under Terrence Fretheim. He’s brilliant, and here’s how I know it. About once an hour Fretheim completely messes with some deeply held belief of mine. Here are a few examples: “Let us create humankind in our image.” I’ve always taught this as a Trinitarian reference. God is the “us” and the “our.” He says that you can’t make that assumption from the text. “The Old Testament is not a Trinitarian book.” People look deeply... Read more

GOP Convention: A Few Random Thoughts

Last updated on: August 29, 2012 at 7:48 am By Tim Suttle

A few random thoughts on the GOP Convention last night. I enjoyed listening to Mrs. Romney, who so clearly loves her husband and was an engaging speaker. Her speech was touching, sweet at times and made me like her quite a lot. I already tend to like Mitt Romney, but she made me like him more. My only critique of her speech was that I’m troubled by the narrative they are trying to build around the governor. Romney’s is not... Read more

10 Guidelines for How to Read the Bible

Last updated on: August 28, 2012 at 8:20 am By Tim Suttle

The Bible is essential to the Christian faith. Some read it literally, some don’t, and there is a never ending discussion over the peculiar descriptor “innerancy.” Christians make many claims about the Bible, how they read it, and how they use it in worship and life. As a pastor I have observed that most Christians love the Bible, revere it, defend it, and refer to it often. However, most people do not actually know the Bible, nor do they regularly... Read more

Monday Morning Confessional

Last updated on: August 27, 2012 at 9:01 am By Tim Suttle

I confess that I suffer from the chronic inability to escape my own point of view. This was pointed out to me today regarding the reading of scripture, but I think it applies across the whole of my life. I confess that I believe this means that the most important learning I’ll ever do is learning about myself. Self-awareness is a rare and precious gift which only comes to those who doggedly pursue it . I confess that the audio recorded version... Read more

Living with Paradox: Learning to be Serious About the Questions

Last updated on: August 26, 2012 at 7:16 am By Tim Suttle

Some Sunday Wisdom from Richard Rohr: I don’t think the important thing is to be certain about answers nearly as much as being serious about the questions. When we hold spiritual questions, we meet and reckon with our contradictions, with our own dilemmas; and we invariably arrive at a turning point where we either evade God or meet God. Mere answers close down the necessary struggle too quickly, too glibly, and too easily. When we hang on the horns of... Read more

Rick Warren Bails on Religious Forum Citing Political Rancor as the Reason

Last updated on: August 24, 2012 at 2:28 pm By Tim Suttle

Four years ago Saddleback held a forum with the two major candidates that was praised as fresh new alternative to the joint press conferences that debates have turned into. This year they had another planned but they pulled the plug. Warren said, “We created the civil forums to promote civility and personal respect between people with major differences,” Warren said. “The forums are meant to be a place where people of goodwill can seriously disagree on significant issues without being... Read more