Sunday favorites

Last updated on: November 13, 2011 at 11:06 am By Fred Clark

Luke 12:2-3 Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops. Read more

“Frustratingly incomplete”

Last updated on: November 12, 2011 at 5:13 pm By Fred Clark

I’m reading N.T. Wright’s Simply Christian. It is, quite intentionally, his attempt at something like C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. It aims to be both a persuasive introduction for outsiders and a guide to the essence of the faith for insiders. I think it’s probably stronger in the latter capacity, but its approach to the former task — persuading outsiders — is humbler and less didactic than Lewis’ was. Mere Christianity often comes across as saying something like, “here is why... Read more

Other voices: Evangelicals outside the right wing

Last updated on: November 12, 2011 at 11:23 am By Fred Clark

“Regent University president, evangelical church leaders denounce Alabama’s immigration law“ Regent University President Carlos Campo and several people identifying themselves as national evangelical Christian leaders held a press conference in Kelly Ingram Park today to denounce Alabama’s new immigration law. “We believe Alabama is a better place if they rescind this law,” said Campo. Regent University, a Christian school in Virginia Beach, Va., was founded by TV Evangelist Pat Robertson. Campo said he’s not aware of Robertson’s stance on the... Read more

Emily open thread

Last updated on: November 10, 2011 at 10:44 am By Fred Clark

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant — Success in Circuit lies Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth’s superb surprise As Lightening to the Children eased With explanation kind The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind — — Emily Dickinson Read more

Protesters occupy home facing foreclosure

Last updated on: November 11, 2011 at 3:11 pm By Fred Clark

This is a story about a police officer and protesters organizing in the Occupy movement. And it doesn’t involve pepper spray. Zaid Jilani of Think Progress reports, “Occupy Atlanta Encamps In Neighborhood To Save Police Officer’s Home From Foreclosure“: Last week, Tawanna Rorey’s husband, a police officer based in Gwinnett County, e-mailed Occupy Atlanta to explain that his home was going to be foreclosed on and his family was in danger of being evicted on Monday. So within a few... Read more

Armistice Day

Last updated on: November 11, 2011 at 9:32 am By Fred Clark

And also: “The End and the Beginning,” by Wislawa Szymborska Read more

My Top 10 Randy Stonehill songs

Last updated on: November 11, 2011 at 1:32 am By Fred Clark

Since we started our tour of old-school Jesus music last week with Larry Norman, it seems appropriate to follow up this week with his protege and sometime-collaborator Randy Stonehill. (Or, actually, maybe it’s incredibly inappropriate.) The first Stonehill album I ever got — 1982’s Equator — made me a fan, sending me back to pick up his older stuff, like Welcome to Paradise and The Sky Is Falling. Over time I came to think of Randy Stonehill’s musical career as... Read more

‘Report any suspicion of the abuse of a child to law enforcement authorities’

Last updated on: November 10, 2011 at 11:52 pm By Fred Clark

Let’s turn to Penn State’s student paper, The Daily Collegian, for a summary of the scandal unfolding at the school — “Penn State President Graham Spanier, Head Coach Joe Paterno ousted by Board of Trustees“: The Board of Trustees announced that Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno will no longer be employees of the Pennsylvania State University. … The announcement comes five days after a grand jury presentment was released describing alleged incidents of sexual abuse by former Penn State defensive... Read more

In defense of the true ‘true Scotsmen’

Last updated on: November 10, 2011 at 12:33 pm By Fred Clark

The “No True Scotsman” fallacy is a common way of exempting a group from any culpability for the bad actions of members of that group. More generally, the useful Wikipedia article linked to there describes it as: An ad hoc attempt to retain an unreasoned assertion. When faced with a counterexample to a universal claim, rather than denying the counterexample or rejecting the original universal claim, this fallacy modifies the subject of the assertion to exclude the specific case or... Read more

Satan? Or merely Hitler?

Last updated on: November 9, 2011 at 11:13 pm By Fred Clark

TEAM SATAN Susan Tyrell, Bound4Life: The kingdom of Satan is united, which is why, for this season, it’s successful. Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue: Obama supports infanticide in America, and forced abortion China. He is patently evil in his efforts to kill the innocent. Troy Newman, Operation Rescue: It’s an abortion facility and often times the abortionist takes every drop of money that he can get out of that to feed sometimes his drug addiction habit, his sexual abuse... Read more