When “Liberal Talking Points” Are the Gospel Two gospels are now engaged in a battle for the heart of Christianity: the gospel of the evangelical world and the gospel of progressive Christianity. Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today says, “Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, in their preaching — ‘turn the other cheek’ — church members will ask, ‘Where did you get those liberal talking points?'” Moore revealed. “And what was... Read more

Now, This Is a Small Town   Grudges, political infighting, accusations, gossip, rumors galore! Now, this is a small town. The small town of Marion, Kansas has erupted into an oversized attack on the freedom of the press. A police raid on the town’s weekly newspaper, The Record, has sent shock waves throughout the nation. Last month, a police raid in the small town of Marion, Kansas went viral. Small town news became international news. The combatants in the ring... Read more

  www.ebay.com Behold the face that launched “birtherism,” thousands of lies, a movement of millions of angry Americans, hundreds of times of taking the “fifth,” and incoherent speeches filled with emotional violence, racism, and hatred. And, of course, four indictments. One doesn’t need to be a world champion Poker player to recognize Donald Trump’s “tell.” Nor is it necessary to be a famous British detective to know when Donald is lying. One look at Donald’s mugshot in Atlanta tells you... Read more

www.whisperingoakslodge.com Soren Kierkegaard defines boredom as a sense of emptiness and examines it not as an absence of stimulation but as an absence of meaning — an idea that also explains why it’s possible, today more than ever, to be overstimulated but existentially bored. Trump doesn’t care about politics. As president he never read policy papers or legislation. He preferred taking his intelligence briefings in picture-book form. The mechanics of governing didn’t matter. What mattered was keeping Trump interested. Trump’s... Read more

Are you familiar with the term “boggle threshold”?  “Boggle” is a word game, but for psychologists it defines the point the mind boggles when confronted with some new idea. Letters in no particular order contain words but serious effort is required to find the words. Likewise, when we hit a “boggle” moment, serious effort is required to change the mind. Such a boggle moment appears in Matthew 15 in the form of a “Canaanite woman.” God’s judgment awaits the centuries we have... Read more

There’s a feeling that the whole world has gone populist! Country singer Jason Aldean’s song, “Try that in a Small Town” suggests that populism invaded America. I argue that populism has been part of the American political scene since at least Andrew Jackson Mr. Aldean sounds really pissed! He paints a picture of small-town resentment and revenge that is distorted and less than honest. He’s not really singing about small towns; he’s singing about people who are angry, resentful, and... Read more

Why We Should Care about Israel’s New Law Restricting the Power of the Supreme Court Evangelical motives are not always pure, but they are almost never hidden. Bottom line: Evangelicals love and support Israel because they believe this hastens the return of Jesus and the advent of the apocalypse. The entire fantasy and illusion of rapture theory comes into play whenever there is political trouble in Israel. Rapturists, doublechecking the Rapture Index every morning, see each change as a day... Read more

What’s Your Name? How (Not) to Be Secular          The story of Joseph is a story of how members of the family of God become secularists. Charles    Amazon.com  Taylor, in A Secular Age, defines secularism as a culture where belief in God is no longer the default setting. Let Egypt stand for our modern secular culture, and Joseph stand for the people who have left church to become secular. Can we get back to where we... Read more

Soren Kierkegaard defines boredom as a sense of emptiness and examines it not as an absence of stimulation but as an absence of meaning — an idea that also explains why it’s possible, today more than ever, to be overstimulated but existentially bored. Trump doesn’t care about politics. As president he never read policy papers or legislation. He preferred taking his intelligence briefings in picture-book form. The mechanics of governing didn’t matter. What mattered was keeping Trump interested. Trump’s aids... Read more

Being Scared Genesis 32:22 – 31 God is scary and I am going to tell you why. Jacob met the living God and cried out, “I am afraid.” Now, we gather at the Jabbok to hear the voice of God. In particular I struggle with the words of Jacob: “God is in this place and I did not know it.” “I was afraid.”“Yet my life is preserved.” Perhaps we need to find out if we still take God seriously. As... Read more