Tribulation Force, pp. 440-443 When we last saw our heroes they were in a dire predicament. Traffic leading up to their exit of the tollway was at a standstill and it seemed they would have to exit onto Route 53 and then backtrack for miles. Oh, and also Washington, D.C., has been destroyed. Still stuck in traffic, they desperately try to find a local news station: “Put in on ‘scan,'” Chloe suggested. Finally the radio found an EBS station and... Read more
“American politics made easy.” Washington state Sen. Joseph Zarelli provides a one-sentence explanation of how it all works. In Rick Perry’s newest ad, he announces that he’s “not ashamed to talk about my faith.” The Texas governor professes his devotion to the God of Abraham, Isaac and … and … oops. Michele Bachmann is a wimpy appeaser of North Korea — she hasn’t yet suggested any plans to close down America’s non-existent embassy in Pyongyang. Gingrich: Put Poor Kids to... Read more
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. — James 1:27 (NIV) The above passage, I think, provides the key to understanding American evangelical Christianity. For American evangelicals, the emphasis is all on that final phrase — “keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” This is a paramount concern for evangelicals, and one of the main... Read more
2 Corinthians 8:8-15 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something... Read more
Chuck Colson’s latest column — “Killing Your Neighbor’s Cow — Income Inequality” is not the work of an honest man. If it were, then the only way to make any sense of it would be as a confession — as Chuck Colson calling himself a soak-the-rich socialist firmly in the grasp of the deadly sin of envy. That’s not what Colson says, at first glance. At first glance it seems he’s just accusing a bunch of other people of being... Read more
Nick Hanauer: “Raise Taxes on Rich to Reward True Job Creators“ I’m a very rich person. As an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, I’ve started or helped get off the ground dozens of companies in industries including manufacturing, retail, medical services, the Internet and software. I founded the Internet media company aQuantive Inc., which was acquired by Microsoft Corp. in 2007 for $6.4 billion. I was also the first non-family investor in Amazon.com Inc. Even so, I’ve never been a “job... Read more
There are more of us than you think. Dianna E. Anderson: “On Why the Bible is Not Clear“ On many controversial issues, especially those concerning women, the Bible is not “clear” and it is disingenuous, unfair, and hurtful to claim so without providing explained support. … Claiming “the Bible is clear” on something is a way to malign dissent and to shut down debate. The person who makes the claim “The Bible is clear” is essentially telling other members of... Read more
I was unaware of the etymology of “brouhaha.” I shall follow Marc Tracy’s example of preferring “kerfuffle.” Just now there’s an interesting kerfuffle over the doctrine of the Trinity, with yet another one of those evangelical declarations we compulsively generate seeking signatories to affirm this ancient teaching. Christians for Biblical Equality quotes Philip Carey to explain why 21st-century American evangelicals are rehashing a 4th-century theological argument: A whole generation of conservative evangelicals has embraced a new-fangled version of the ancient... Read more
Matt Stoller: “Mortgage Servicers: Getting Away with the Perfect Crime?“ The bad behavior is so rampant that banks think nothing of a contractor programming fraud into the software. This is shocking behavior and has led to untold numbers of foreclosures, as well as the theft of huge sums of money from mortgage-backed securities investors. Here’s how the fraud works: Mortgage loan notes are very clear on the schedule of how payments are to be applied. First, the money goes to... Read more
I recently listed Jonathan Dudley’s Broken Words: The Abuse of Science and Faith in American Politics along with other spiritual memoirs by younger writers challenging aspects of what they have been taught in the American evangelical subculture. “Memoir” isn’t really the right word for Dudley’s book, which is more impersonal and analytical than that implies. He steps back to examine ideas and ideologies rather than focusing on the particulars of his own story or journey. But that’s what this journey... Read more
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