Family photos

Last updated on: March 22, 2011 at 12:25 pm By Fred Clark

Marci A. Hamilton, “Philadelphia Is the Ireland of America” Here is what we have in Philadelphia: The Cardinals’ cover up of the abusers left child predators in ministry. They may have been moved from parish to parish, or school to parish, but they performed the standard sacraments for one family after another. That means that in addition to sexually assaulting children, they presided over untold numbers of christenings, first holy communions, confirmations, marriages and funerals. So one Catholic family after... Read more

TF: What if that was me?

Last updated on: March 21, 2011 at 4:46 pm By Fred Clark

Tribulation Force, pp. 354-356 “Rayford’s day — and, he felt, his future — were both set,” Chapter 16 begins. While Nicolae Carpathia signs his peace treaty with Israel, Rayford Steele will be getting Antichrist One ready for a flight to Baghdad, and then, after a brief tour of the ancient ruins set to be rapidly transformed into the new Global Capital City, for a flight west to New York. That peace-treaty signing, we have been told, is the most important... Read more

"I spend a lot of time studying this stuff"

Last updated on: March 19, 2011 at 3:49 pm By Fred Clark

Q: What do Ed Koch, Joan Rivers, Barbara Bush, Russell Simons, Moby and Kyra Sedgwick have in common? A: They think that the law should apply equally to everybody in New York. And, of course, it should. Duh. * * * * * * * * * Jason at The Wild Hunt on the “New Apostolic Reformation” group: “If you think what this group is doing sounds like malefic magic, I’d be hard-pressed to argue with you.” Prayer should not... Read more

Japan: Giving well, planning ahead

Last updated on: March 18, 2011 at 4:21 pm By Fred Clark

This advice comes from the GiveWell Blog (via Ezra Klein): The situation in Japan is tragic and worrying, and our hearts continue to go out to those affected and responding. … We believe that: Those affected have requested very little, limited aid. Aid being offered far exceeds aid being requested. Charities are aggressively soliciting donations, often in ways we feel are misleading. Any donation you make will probably be used (a) by the charity you give it to, for activities... Read more

Hard, Harder, Hard Knock Life

Last updated on: March 18, 2011 at 5:21 am By Fred Clark

A prayer for everyone who’s ever been out on the pavement … “A Hard Day’s Night,” The Beatles “Hard Headed Woman,” Cat Stevens “Hard Luck & Heart Attack,” Vigilantes of Love “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians “Hard Times Come Again No More,” Bob Dylan “Hard Times Come Again No More,” Eastmountainsouth “Hard Times Come Again No More,” Emmylou Harris “Hard Times Come Again No More,” The Lost Dogs “Hard Times Come Again No More,”... Read more

Bracketology, trailer park heroes & ghosts

Last updated on: March 17, 2011 at 3:18 pm By Fred Clark

I’ve got my brackets filled in. Here’s my Final Four: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, BP, UnitedHealth. I’ve got BofA edging out BP in the final, but this is a really strong tournament field with lots of great contenders, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of March Madness, it’s that anything can happen. No, I’m not talking about the NCAA basketball tournament. I’m talking about Consumerist’s annual March Madness contest for Worst Company in America. For the... Read more

The paradox of pitchforks, a devilish problem

Last updated on: March 16, 2011 at 5:44 pm By Fred Clark

I want to turn here away from the doctrine of Hell in itself to explore briefly a bit of the folklore that has attached itself to it. Specifically I want to look at the odd notion that Hell exists as a physical location that is also the workplace of hordes of devils and demons. That is, the idea that Hell is a place where such creatures are employed rather than a place where they are punished. I refer to this... Read more

Rob Bell vs. Team Hell (cont'd.)

Last updated on: March 16, 2011 at 2:06 pm By Fred Clark

Rob Bell’s book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Has Ever Lived went on sale yesterday and the backlash and criticism hasn’t yet peaked. The more I read of this criticism, the more I’m struck by the way everything Team Hell is upset with Bell about, or accusing him of, could be said even more strongly of St. Paul. The doctrine of Hell, they say, is so central and essential to Christianity... Read more

Learning to drive

Last updated on: March 15, 2011 at 2:33 pm By Fred Clark

In one of the early meetings of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard spoke about the need to help congregants “sacralize” their everyday lives. If we want people of faith to care for creation as part of their faith, the rabbi said, then we need to help them think of things like driving as an expression or a part of that faith. I was at that meeting as part of the Evangelical Environmental Network, and when... Read more

TF: Trust-busting

Last updated on: March 14, 2011 at 9:54 pm By Fred Clark

Tribulation Force, pp. 352-354 Here’s where Buck finally finds out what everybody else already knew about the coming One World Media of Nicolae Carpathia’s One World Government. I wouldn’t work for Carpathia,” Buck said. “Then you won’t be in communications.” “What are you talking about?” Borland told him of the announcement. To Buck’s credit, he regards this news of a global media monopoly as a Bad Thing. The authors, too, seem uncomfortable with the idea of a single media conglomerate... Read more