Category: Daily Column

Was Lincoln a hero or a villain?

Many of us go through viewpoints about Abraham Lincoln that reflect our view of the world. The first, simplest view is “Lincoln freed the slaves.” The second is more complicated. It may include facts and opinions that Lincoln was a tryant, that he didn’t care about The Constitution, that he rode roughshod over the rights […]

Weekly Reading, Sunday, August 5, 2012

Reading 1 Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to […]

Sanity is asking for help.

Imagine that you live next door to a very nice older woman, a widow. Sometimes, you give her a hand trimming, mowing, or moving things. Then, imagine that an awful legal problem emerges. You find that you are at great risk of loss and it’s possible that you could end up in prison for a […]

If Mary’s not our Mother, we are spiritual orphans.

Just as our place in Heaven will reflect our love of, and obedience to, Jesus, our joy on earth reflects how much love and respect we have for Mary. Protestants do not think much about Mary. So, their churches are dying. Some congregations simply disappear. Others are absorbed into more efficient mega-churches even less likely […]

If more men became priests, there would be less turmoil.

One of the reasons technology moves so fast is that fewer men are becoming priests. A person with a higher IQ usually makes the best decision for his long-term well being. No one is rewarded more than a faithful priest who spends eternity high in Heaven. In the recent past, social pressures have let fewer […]

What’s your “Jeremiah Number”?

Most of us back off when it comes to saying things that might hurt other people’s feelings. Telling unvarnished truth becomes proportionately more offensive as lying becomes a popular way of life. So, most of us do not endeavor to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” unless we’re under […]

A way to cut tuition costs at state colleges and universities.

State Universities began as a way to “provide education to everyone, not just the rich.” Now, those employed at State Universities and public colleges are rich. Their tenure, pensions, salaries, and benefits provide wealth beyond what most of us will ever have. Too many students and taxpayers are too poor to go on paying. One […]

Very scary reading from Jeremiah.

Today’s Reading is from Jeremiah 18: 1-6. Like much of Jeremiah, it is scary and instructive about how we, in the once more Christian nations, are being punished by God. “This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Rise up, be off to the potter’s house; there I will give you my message. I went […]

Mary. We ignore her at our peril.

Most non-Catholics are brought up to believe that Catholics are a little “extreme” about Mary. Few Protestants think much about her, though there are rumors of more Protestants saying the Rosary. “We worship The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.”, most Protestants will announce when pushed on the subject. They let people know their […]

Are giant, mega-churches good or bad?

America has long been a hotbed of fracturing and consolidating. At any given time, dozens companies are becoming conglomerates while existing conglomerates are spinning off subsidiaries. In religion, America has one giant denomination, the Roman Catholic Church. Methodists, Presbyterians, and the other “mainline” denominations are disappearing before our eyes. Many survive on endowments accumulated in […]