Also-ran for president: Jack Grimes

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If you prefer a little more emperor in your 2008 presidential candidates, then Jack Grimes is your man. Grimes, who is the United Fascist Union’s candidate for ’08, lists as one of his priority issues to “establish a global government, similar to the Roman Empire built upon an Axis of economic trade to raise the … Read more

Adventures in words

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Daniel Boorstin on word overusage in America: The word “adventure” has become one of the blandest in the language. The cheap cafeteria at the corner offers us an “adventure in good eating”; a course in self-development … in a few weeks will transform our daily conversation into a “great adventure”; to ride in the new … Read more

Evangelical espionage

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Just how crazy are those wacky evangelicals? Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone wanted to find out, so he went “Undercover with the Christian Right” by immersing himself in the world of TBN star John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church. There’s much not to like about the methods that Taibbi employed for the piece, which is an excerpt … Read more

Civility as putdown

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Civility is important — even necessary — in a society that seeks to be known as civilized. But, there are times when civility can go the wrong way. Walker Percy provides an excellent example in his novel The Thanatos Syndrome, where the protagonist (psychiatrist Tom More) encounters an old janitor with whom he’d had familiar … Read more

If you want me to read your blog…

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…PUBLISH FULL RSS FEEDS! That’s right bloggers, I’m putting you on notice.  The days of my clicking through to your blog through an RSS excerpt are coming to an end.  I just checked my Google Reader subscriptions, and there are 146.  One hundred forty six. At some point I must have (slightly) exceeded my self-imposed … Read more

Family Driven Faith

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It’s ironic that within the evangelical church — a people who by and large claim their ultimate authority to be Scripture alone — it is tradition that is often the most difficult thing to change. Voddie T. Baucham Jr.’s book, Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with … Read more

Politics and the Prophet

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[Editor’s note: In light of today being Earth Day, I thought I would do my green duty and recycle a post from June 2005 that is remarkably still relevant today.] The pregnancy of Britney Spears and the trial of Michael Jackson notwithstanding, the hottest topic in the news today has to do with the intersection … Read more