Well, in the last two days much has come to light about what the government has been doing, supposedly in the cause of protecting us from terrorism. Some we already knew, for example the fact that agencies were collecting and storing bulk phone data. But we did not know the FBI has been using over […]
Archives
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Ephesians 6 and Capitalism
02 Jun 2015
Today we heard a sermon on Ephesians 6: 5-9, the text about how Christian slaves and masters should act toward each other and the proper attitudes they should have. The sermon (and my wife) prompted me to write here on the application of that text to relations in a capitalist-market society. First, the direct and […]
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More Power and Corruption: Inseparable Twins
27 May 2015
Another potential scandal has erupted (it was already boiling beneath the surface) in the soccer world. At first glance you would think this has nothing to do with politics. And you would be wrong. It appears that for many years now—no surprise—the FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the world governing body for soccer—has been […]
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It began when the current Pope, Francis, succeeded Benedict XVI and proceeded to issue an encyclical dealing with economics. Many at the time defended him and argued that he could be interpreted in such a way as not to be overly critical of markets and capitalism. But Francis seems to have continued down an interesting […]
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Running Off the Rails
14 May 2015
First let me say that I am saddened by the Amtrak tragedy in Pennsylvania recently. Second, I admit I love trains—riding in them and watching them. So I am not longing for railroads to disappear. What I am disturbed about is the immediate use of this accident by Democrats (and I am sure a few […]
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GOP Field Expands, Outnumbers Those Who Care
06 May 2015
I recall a time when I delivered an academic paper in San Diego.* There were three of us on the panel, joined by a moderator. As I looked side-to-side at my colleagues, I noticed, quickly, that we outnumbered the audience by one. It was a riveting topic, eclipsed only by the aplomb with which we […]
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Inner Cities, Part 2: A Partial Response
29 Apr 2015
After a couple of responses to my first post on the solution to the problems of inner cities, I decided I ought to delve a little deeper. I am responding here to two similar but different types of responses. One asks what can Christians do? The other is a bit irritated at my alleged “Gospel-without-solutions” […]
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The Only Hope for Inner Cities in the Long Run
29 Apr 2015
President Obama simply can’t resist taking shots at Republicans anytime something bad happens (to foreclose any response from those who will reply that Republicans do it too, I will challenge that if you wish). In this case it was the Baltimore riots, which by now everyone knows about. In his press conference today, the president […]
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Abraham Lincoln Comments on the Baltimore Riots
28 Apr 2015
Well, not really, of course, but his thoughts, frequently so timeless, seem particularly appropriate today. In his famous Lyceum Address in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln meditated on the theme of civil obedience. Though we tend in our day to ponder endlessly the justifications for disobedience, Lincoln was convinced that our willingness to obey the law was […]
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I have to agree with him; Mr. & Mrs. Clinton have both spoken eloquently in defending the importance of faith and marriage between one man and one woman. Unfortunately my previous sentence was written in past tense. Is this not the ultimate flip-flop, finger in the wind approach to leadership? Mr. DeYoung’s summary point of […]
Bert Wheeler
Jeff Haymond
Marc Clauson
Mark Caleb Smith
Tom Mach