It's indicative of the sad state of what is conventionally termed Christianity (but I have my doubts) when an avowed atheist calls our bluff, as Brendan O'Neill does in his article Mankind is more than the janitor of planet Earth: In his Christmas sermon, delivered at Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Williams finally completed his journey from …
Mike Huckabee and the Dilemma of American Conservatives
Mike Huckabee's version of "New Testament compassionate conservatism" may bother many on the right, but the positive feedback--in the form of events like the Iowa caucuses--is a sign of the Republicans' core problem in moving forward this election year. That problem, simply put, is that Americans in general are less and less willing to be …
Continue reading "Mike Huckabee and the Dilemma of American Conservatives"
Tell The Story Like It Is…
Hillary Clinton's ignominious defeat in Iowa (and for that matter Mike Huckabee's win) are signs that we still have a competitive political system. Both parties have attempted "coronations" in this, the most open election year since World War II. But neither has worked. Clinton's is especially galling since she, more than any other Democrat candidate, …
Territory? What Territory?
It seems that the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, Bishop Suheil Dawani, is upset that his Global South counterparts are having a conference (GAFCON) in his town without having consulted with him. From a purely tactical standpoint, I can't blame the Africans for doing it this way. They're in an interesting position; their "primus inter pares" …
The Secular Background of the Anglican Conflict in San Joaquin
George Hood's outline of the secular parallel to the conflict in the Episcopal Church--and specifically the secession of the Diocese of San Joaquin--is a theme that bears more coverage than it gets in the Anglican/Episcopal world. The whole row is a microcosm of the culture wars that now have a global dimension. That is due …
Continue reading "The Secular Background of the Anglican Conflict in San Joaquin"
Dear Muslims…
The beginning of the new year is an opportunity to deal with a point of business from the old one: the letter by 138 Muslim scholars back in October for unity between Muslims and Christians. Since I was appointed by my church's General Assembly to a position in the denomination, I think I can make …
Up From Bourgeois is Trickier Than It Looks
Wilfred McClay's article on the 80th "birthday" of Elmer Gantry is an interesting study, in no small measure because of the critical view he takes of Sinclair Lewis. That critical view is hard to find; Lewis of course won a Nobel Prize in 1930, was greatly influential in shaping liberal thought about Evangelical Christianity (including …
Continue reading "Up From Bourgeois is Trickier Than It Looks"
Did God Intend Us To Be Vegetarians?
Recently the concept that God's original intent for man was vegetarianism has surfaced and gained currency amongst Christians (to say nothing of the followers of synthetic Judaism that passes for Christianity in the US.) This has been promoted for commercial gain by such movements as the Hallelujah Diet. But is this correct? A succinct case …
The Ridiculous Analysis of Global Warming and the Right
Dave Lindorff's article Global Warming Will Save America from the Right...Eventually is ridiculous on a number of counts (leaving out the whole debate of the existence and pace of global warming): One of the first victims of sea rise would be South Florida, certainly a bastion of left-wing life and politics. Perhaps it's not an …
Continue reading "The Ridiculous Analysis of Global Warming and the Right"
Benazir Bhutto: Like Father, Like Daughter
Benazir Bhutto's assassination reminds me of an earlier post on the subject: Most people don’t realise that Musharraf is one in a line of military leaders who have dominated Pakistan since Muhammad Zia-al-Haq overthrew Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977. The year before that, I had as downstairs neighbours a pair of Texas A&M students, one …
Continue reading "Benazir Bhutto: Like Father, Like Daughter"
Positive Infinity 