Susie Madrak notes that the shutdown deal in Congress cuts winter heating aid for low-income families. I used to be confused as to why LIHEAP was always among the first programs on the chopping block when states or the federal government wanted to cut the budget. LIHEAP, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, helps low-income families pay the heating bill. Congress just cut the program by 25 percent — or $3.5 billion. Every one of those dollars would have gone... Read more
Herman Melville: “Poor Man’s Pudding and Rich Man’s Crumbs” (1854) Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. “Blandmour,” said I that evening, as after tea I sat on his comfortable sofa, before a blazing fire, with one of his two ruddy little children on my knee, “you are not what may rightly be called a rich man; you have... Read more
Here is some helpful news for those who: 1) care about justice for workers, and 2) tend to procrastinate when it comes to Christmas shopping. Labor organization American Rights at Work released its holiday gift buying guide this week, spotlighting gifts and holiday supplies from union companies who manufacture products made in America. … I’m glad to see this, but here’s hoping that the 2012 guide comes out before Black Friday, not two weeks before Christmas. * * * *... Read more
Religion News Service reports that: The Southern Baptist Convention is again considering changing its name, after a national survey found 40 percent of Americans hold an unfavorable view of the denomination. Somewhat surprisingly, the SBC’s negatives were highest in the South. It’s not surprising. To paraphrase Ed Koch, in the South, people know the SBC. Those negatives probably aren’t helped by Southern Baptist bookstores taking a firm stance in favor of breast cancer. Lifeway Christian Bookstores, which is owned by... Read more
I want to give some credit to the National Association of Free Will Baptists for responding quickly to an eruption of ugly racism in one of its congregations. You may recall that last month the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church of Pike County, Ky., voted to ban interracial couples from joining the church or participating in worship services. Peter Smith of the (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal reports on the response from the association: The publishing arm of the Free Will Baptist... Read more
My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, any place, any time. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass. — Christopher Hitchens Critic, essayist and compulsive contrarian Christopher Hitchens has died. I didn’t agree with Hitchens often before 9/11, and agreed with him even less after that, but the man was very rarely dull. He made... Read more
Here is an alien story from another world. It’s from 3,000 years ago, or what we think of as “biblical times.” That’s the right word in this case, since this story is from the Bible. It’s the story of the prophet Nathan coming to condemn King David for his sin. Before he can convince David to repent, Nathan has to convince him that he’s done something wrong, so first he tells the king a story. It’s a story about the... Read more
Time magazine has named “The Protester” its “Person of the Year” for 2011. That seems like the right choice to me. “In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints,” Time’s cover story says, “they changed the world.” And they’re still changing it. That’s what makes this a good choice for the story of the year. In the spring of 2011 we watched demonstrations across the Arab world — starting in Tunisia and then spreading to Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen and... Read more
William H. Willimon may be best known as the co-author, with Stanley Hauerwas, of Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony. Love it or hate it (I loved it, mostly), that’s a book that requires readers to contend with what it has to say. The main point there being, roughly, that Christianity took a wrong turn around about the time of Constantine and still has a lot of work to do disentangling itself from Empire. Willimon is also the bishop... Read more
Old links, like old bananas, shouldn’t be allowed to go to waste. So when I find myself with a surplus of unused links and bookmarks, I try to mash them up and make something delicious. George Clooney, a movie star, is heading for the stage, where the Academy Award-winner will star in: … the West Coast premiere of “8,” a play chronicling the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, written by [American Foundation for Equal... Read more
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