This is Holy Week. When Jesus and his disciples gathered together, the Eucharist was instituted, but what they were coming together for (Tyndale's "Easter lamb" notwithstanding) was the Passover. Tonight the Passover is celebrated by Jews all around the world, and some Christians even have a Seder meal. Thus the two events are intertwined, both …
Is the US Really Headed Down the Road of Nazi Germany?
Recently an "old China hand" friend of mine sent around an email with this piece about the analogies between our current situation and that of Nazi Germany in the 1930's. Leaving aside the attribution problems of the piece itself, I'd like to address this issue, because I keep hearing it come up in our discourse. …
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Government Policy: Giving Way to Bicycles and Pedestrians, and a Photo of the Future
That's what our Transportation Secretary said: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a “major policy revision” that aims to give bicycling and walking the same policy and economic consideration as driving. “Today I want to announce a sea change,” he wrote on his blog last week. “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at …
Don't Want Higher Fuel Taxes? Be Seeing You!
Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari assures us that higher fuel taxes aren't in the cards: President Obama remains opposed to raising federal fuel taxes while the economy is trying to recover despite calls in Congress to increase those fees to fund new legislation, said Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari. The DOT’s second-highest official assured the …
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The Importance of Causality
In his book Introduction to the Differential Equations of Physics, German physicist Ludwig Hopf opens with the following statement: Any differential equation expresses a relation between derivatives or between derivatives and given functions of the variables. It thus establishes a relation between the increments of certain quantities and these quantities themselves. This property of a …
From US to Europe, Without Leaving the Country
Nolan Finley at the Detroit News hits the nail on the head: Passage of a national health care bill begins fulfilling the fantasy of the left of making over America into something resembling its refined and compassionate European cousins. Throughout the health care battle, President Barack Obama asked, if European nations can deliver expansive universal …
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Does Education Kill Creativity?
Sir Ken Robinson thinks so, from this TED talk. This hilarious discourse is all too painfully true, as I have found out in my brief educational career. But the humour he uses kills a lot of the pain.
Shaneen Clarke: The Gospel for the Rich and Famous
An extraordinary ministry by someone I had the chance to meet last weekend: http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/vod/SUS124_ShaneenClarke_060209_WS Shaneen attends Holy Trinity Brompton (of Nicky Gumbel and "Alpha" fame) with her husband Martin. She was also influenced by my superior at Laity Ministries, Leonard Albert. Hopefully, Palm Beach is next...
Health Care Reform: Our Past is Your Future
This past Sunday's passage of the "health care reform" has brought something I heard a long time ago back to mind, and it seems appropriate to repeat it in the wake of this monumental legislation. In the wake of the collapse of the old Soviet Union, many American churches attempted to establish a viable presence …
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John Shelby Spong, Surrender Monkey
That's the opinion of Bayard Taylor in The Late Great Ape Debate: John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark, is a surrender monkey. His "Call for a New Reformation" is really a call to wave the white flag, throw in the towel, and give up on the God revealed in both Jewish and Christian …
Positive Infinity 