From J. Vernon McGee's Through the Bible, commenting on John 15:18-19: Notice what will happen if you are a child of God. The world will hate you. I believe that a Christian's popularity can be an indication of how he is representing Christ in the world. I do not believe a Christian can be popular …
Does the Obama Administration Think Being Lesbian is Wrong?
That's exactly what they're implying in their defence of Elena Kagan: The White House declared publicly, even before President Obama nominated Elena Kagan, that she is not a lesbian. "False charges," White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said after a conservative blogger wrote last month on a CBS News Web site that Kagan would be the …
Continue reading "Does the Obama Administration Think Being Lesbian is Wrong?"
Recognising the Inevitable Split in the Anglican/Episcopal World
That great son of the Confederacy (and probable relative to his Ulster Unionist namesake) David Trimble gets it right on this one: Many of these orthodox may not yet be fully conscious of this change. It is in some ways subtle, in the tone and frequency of blog posts and other communications among those who …
Continue reading "Recognising the Inevitable Split in the Anglican/Episcopal World"
Orthodox Jews on the Dole in a Big Way
In Israel, at least: But Ben-David said the government has relied too heavily on a quick fix. With heavy lobbying from ultra-Orthodox parties that often prove crucial in forming government coalitions, Israel has increased welfare payments fivefold since 1970, while the standard of living has doubled, he said. Nearly a decade ago, Prime Minister Benjamin …
Elena Kagan's Most Principled–and Idiotic–Position
Yet Peter Beinart at the Daily Beast wants her to apologise for it: The day after the story appeared, I received an email from a prominent Democratic lawyer offering me the same kind of assistance that the Obama administration seems to have provided the Times. In a previous Beast column, I had criticized Kagan’s action …
Continue reading "Elena Kagan's Most Principled–and Idiotic–Position"
War at the Opera: Opening of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser in Paris
"Classical" music is widely perceived to be boring, but one composer that succeeded in changing that (if we ignore the sheer length of his operas) was Richard Wagner. Controversial in life and death, he changed the face of Western music in ways that few have, even (in some ways) paving the way for cinematic music …
Continue reading "War at the Opera: Opening of Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser in Paris"
Obama Shouldn't Bemoan the Diversions of the Technological World
He did anyway, in his address to Hampton University: US President Barack Obama lamented Sunday that in the iPad and Xbox era, information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy, in his latest critique of modern media. Obama, who often chides journalists and cable news outlets for obsessing with political horse …
Continue reading "Obama Shouldn't Bemoan the Diversions of the Technological World"
Our Government's Real Intentions: Obama Dodges Breaking Up Big Banks, and the Continuing Threat to 401(k)'s and 403(b)'s
The first, from Mother Jones: Late on Thursday night, an effort to rein in the mega-banks that brought the American economy to the brink of disaster died on the Senate floor. Sens. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) had offered an amendment that would have broken up the biggest banks and forced them to …
Why is Right-Wing Campaign Food Better Than Left-Wing Campaign Food?
Ben Macintyre at the Times wants to know, and so do we: On the Cameron plane in Scotland: prosciutto, mozzarella and peach salad, followed by rare roast lamb on a bed of lentils, with chocolate mousse for dessert. On the Brown bus, in Scotland: a bottle of Irn-Bru and a curly sandwich. George W. Bush …
Continue reading "Why is Right-Wing Campaign Food Better Than Left-Wing Campaign Food?"
American Exceptionalism Thrives in the Obama Administration: It Refuses Foreign Help on BP Oil Spill
Which says they're too proud for their own good: When State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley refused to tell reporters which countries have offered assistance to help respond to the BP oil spill, the State Department press corps was flabbergasted. "As a policy matter, we're not going to identify those offers of assistance until we are …
Positive Infinity 