2009-03-18T07:24:23-04:00

Outrage seems to be all the rage just now, so OK, I'll chime in. Here are a few things, ranked by their respective outrageousness, that I find upsetting. No. 2: The AIG bonuses. It's not so much that they're paying out huge bonuses after accepting billions in bailout funds from taxpayers. It's that they're paying out huge bonuses to the guys who, you know, nearly destroyed the world's economy. Screwing over millions of formerly hard-working people ought to be its... Read more

2009-03-13T19:32:08-04:00

Tribulation Force, pp. 5-8 Wherein LaHaye & Jenkins' overwhelming visceral contempt for women almost succeeds in distracting readers from the astonishing inappropriateness of Buck Williams' actions. This is, on the surface, a fairly straightforward scene which, like most of Tribulation Force, has nothing to do with theology, "Bible prophecy" or the End Times. All that actually happens is that Buck Williams arrives at his new office following his disciplinary demotion and learns that no longer being the boss means that... Read more

2009-03-11T20:00:28-04:00

Before belatedly getting into the other aspects of the hubbub over the Rev. Rick Warren and his invitation, by then President-elect Barack Obama, to provide the invocation at the inauguration, I want to mention this: Andy Warhol was a devout Catholic who attended Mass nearly every day. I point this out because whatever else Rick Warren may be — an evangelical leader, a political figure, a best-selling author — he is, first and foremost, a pastor. He is pastor of... Read more

2009-03-10T15:36:12-04:00

The Typealyzer characterizes this blog as personality type "INTP: The Thinkers": The logical and analytical type. They are especially attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications. They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people,... Read more

2009-03-06T17:17:53-05:00

Tribulation Force, pp. 2-5 After the book begins with a three-page revisionist summary of "What Has Gone Before …," the opening pages of the first chapter find Rayford Steele reading a not-quite-current copy of the Chicago Tribune. This device allows Jenkins to offer a second, three-page revisionist summary of what has gone before. I'll give LaHaye & Jenkins the benefit of the doubt and guess that the prologue was tacked on later, at the insistence of the publisher, and that... Read more

2009-03-05T20:04:50-05:00

OK, then, what about Hitler? That's usually one of the first questions asked when one expresses a disbelief in the notion of Hell as a literal place of eternal, fiery torment. ("Literal" here referring to a literal interpretation of Dante's Inferno and more than a century of Hollywood movies and tent-meeting sermons.) I've even been asked that question after quoting Julian of Norwich: "All will be well and all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well."... Read more

2018-01-22T01:25:29-05:00

If you’re a regular listener to This American Life, then you already know this story. But if, like me, you have a huge backlog of TAL podcasts you’ve been meaning to get around to some day but haven’t yet, then this story may be news to you too. Here’s TAL’s intro to the story of the Rev. Carlton Pearson, which they have titled simply, “Heretics“: Carlton Pearson’s church, Higher Dimensions, was once one of the biggest in the city, drawing... Read more

2009-03-02T09:59:17-05:00

The Lorax said nothing. Just gave me a glance …just gave me a very sad, sad backward glance …as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants.And I'll never forget the grim look on his facewhen he heisted himself and took leave of this place,through a hole in the smog, without leaving a trace. And all that the Lorax left here in this messwas a small pile of rocks, with one word…"UNLESS."Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess.... Read more

2009-02-27T19:00:27-05:00

Tribulation Force, pp. 1 – 2 OK, so, here we go again. On three. Ready? 1 … 2 … It was Rayford Steele's turn for a break. He pulled the headphones down onto his neck and dug into his flight bag for his wife's Bible, marveling at how quickly his life had changed. How many hours had he wasted during idle moments like this, poring over newspapers and magazines that had nothing to say? After all that had happened, only... Read more

2009-02-27T08:24:54-05:00

They say Confucius does his crossword with a pen … "Happiness Is a Warm Gun," The Beatles"Happiness Is a Warm Gun," The Breeders"Happiness Is a Warm Gun," Across the Universe (Joe Anderson & Salma Hayek)"Happy," Phil Keaggy"Happy," The Rolling Stones"Happy," Victoria Williams"Happy Birthday to Me," Cracker"Happy Ending," Randy Newman"Happy Fool," The Choir"Happy Little Chipmunk," Bradly Richards"Happy Phantom," Tori Amos"Happy Placebo Syringe Day," The Clock Work Army"Happy Roy," The 77's"Happy So Happy," Don McCloskey"Happy To Be So," Over the Rhine"Happy Tonight,"... Read more

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