“He was crucified,” the Apostle’s Creed declares. As the Church has confessed these three words pointing back to a day that seemed anything but “good” two millennia ago, we recall the most unjust, horrid execution of all time.
Yeow! Why is it that hot coffee defies gravity and manages to escape the spout of the coffee pot and — sometimes actually flowing uphill — find its way onto the hand holding the cup, or the tablecloth, or the early morning bare feet?
In this short story, Ed Hurst introduces us to an semi-apocalyptic army training scene. Our protagonist faces a difficult question: what does one do when one is required to train a new group of enlisted men for a cause that seems hopeless?
It would be a lot easier to get things done around here if there were more snakes. No, I’m not kidding.
Last week, Brad Edwards looked at the New Scientist’s claim that religious beliefs such as the rise of “New Calvinism,” is a mere survival reflex we are biologically disposed to. The potential problem he pointed out with the claim is that it assumes that a biological survival mechanism must be irrational. Christianity claims otherwise.
One of the first things that happened after I moved here into the woods four years ago was a visit by a friend from back east. Gerard Koeppel is a noted historian and writer who has specialized in the history of the infrastructure of New York. That is not a subject which immediately quickens the heart, but a book he wrote that was published in 2000, Water for Gotham, actually made the history of the city’s water-supply system exciting.
Two weeks ago, Time released their second annual “10 Most Powerful Ideas” issue, which lists the top ten ideas affecting the country over the last year. The third most powerful idea was “New Calvinism.” In a time of social and economic instability, Americans have once again returned to the Church for comfort. After 9/11, news agencies reported a similar flocking back to religious centers, but this time is a little different.
It’s something that folks who grew up around here have come to take for granted, in which many have participated since they were kids. Handled responsibly, they reason, there is little danger.
It started off as an “I’m sorry” I offered to a friend the other day. He asked what I was sorry about; I simply said, “the November election.” Regular readers will recall my endorsement and defense of then-Sen. Barack Obama during that election cycle.
When the power went off, it woke me up. Of course, a sensible person would have looked around, rolled over, and slept some more.