Reading this older Ian Millhiser column at ThinkProgress, I’m struck by how pertinent the 1982 Supreme Court ruling in United States vs. Lee seems to be to the current Hobby Lobby hubbub. It seems to me that ruling in favor of the billionaire owners of Hobby Lobby would require the justices to overturn Lee. Here’s Millhiser: One year before Bob Jones, the Court decided a case called United States v. Lee, which involved an Amish employer’s objection to paying Social Security taxes... Read more
Matthew Rindge on the need to study to shew thyself approved; Jenny Eaton Dyer says contraception saves lives; Sharon Temple won't be praying at government meetings; Renee Bracey Sherman shares the story of what happened when she shared her story; and Alan Bean reminds us, "If your theology doesn’t let you respond to deep grief, you need a new theology." Read more
"When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they may eat their fill within your towns." Read more
The hacks' defense is ridiculous -- in the song and in reality -- because it can't overcome the basic arithmetic of personal thrift. It simply doesn't add up. If you're making $50 a week then no matter how penny-pinching and frugal you may be, you won't ever be able to save more than $50 a week. Your income is always going to be the upper limit on your savings and investments. Even if you give up all vices and luxuries, skip lunch, and faithfully collect all the deposits on your recyclables, it's not possible to ever put more than that original $50 a week into your little tin box. Read more
Petroleum V. Nasby is both a 19th-century satire and a 21st-century N.H. police chief. Only in Florida. Adrian Warnock helpfully describes the distinction between legitimate, Bible-believing evangelicals and people like you. Old Henry knows who Todd Starnes is, he knows that just fine. Read more
News item: "Tim Chey, the director behind the upcoming big-budget 'David and Goliath' film, told The Christian Post in an exclusive interview that the project is set to be 'biblically correct in every way,' and that he hopes audiences will be moved to tears when they see it." Read more
When we get to a relatively risk-free subject like mondegreens, we enjoy the chance to confess our confusions and to have them accepted with laughter, endearment and something like membership or belonging. It’s like a chance to dip our toes into that intimidating pool of self-revelation that someday we hope to be brave enough to plunge into completely. Read more
Mondegreens occur when both of those factors are present -- both the acoustic fragility that provides the space for ambiguous interpretation of a song's lyrics and the expectation or desire that makes the alternative interpretation preferable. Read more
The Subway police blotter. Fox grifter Todd Starnes winks at the camera. Why we need a Dignitatis Humanae for American evangelicals. Pennsylvania white supremacist celebrates two years as officer of Republican county committee. Can we trust NBC with "Hellblazer"? Read more
Matthew Vines is speaking truth to power and so, naturally, tribal gatekeepers are responding by speaking power to truth. You may remember Vines from a viral video posted to YouTube in 2012. That video has been viewed more than 700,000 times -- which is astonishing when you realize that, unlike most viral videos, it's more than an hour long and consists entirely of a lecture on biblical exegesis. Yes, that's right, Matthew Vines made substance go viral. Read more
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