Many know I’m not crazy about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. During the campaign season, my mantra was, “I’m afraid it’ll come down to Trump and Clinton.” See kids, nightmares can come true. Just keep believing 😉 Now that we’re past all hope of not electing Trump or Clinton, I pray for Trump and our…
Category: Social Issues
Bah! Humbug!
It’s Christmastime again. Besides music, colored lights, trees sprouting indoors, and avalanching sweets, there’s another cue to the season: snide comments about commercialism. Commercialism is a real problem. I don’t deny that. Humanity’s loyalty has long been divided between God and mammon (Matt. 6:24). As they say, nothing is sacred. Consumption and material…
(In)Fidel Castro
Since his death last week, there has been no shortage of fawning news articles about Fidel Castro. (And no, these weren’t Cuban news articles. They were American). I had the distinct displeasure of reading two of them recently. One opened by calling Castro a fiery apostle of revolution. The other went on and on…
Putting the “Ugh” in Ugly
Sketch by Patrick Murphy Yesterday, Americans elected Donald Trump as their next president. (Read my pre-election thoughts here). Today, the news and social media are blowing up with opinions about this election. (Silly me, I thought it would be over yesterday). Cyber-space is full of doomsday predictions, verbal attacks, defensiveness, cattiness, and righteous indignation in…
Just the Factions, Ma’am
America’s presidential election is…beyond description. People often say they’re voting for the lesser of two evils. But many see no clear favorite in the race toward lesser evil. (And what a sad finish line that is). The picture above captures this feeling. Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump are imagined as super-villains from “The Dark Knight,” part…
Hospice, Not a Hospital
Today’s post ran in the local paper where I live. I adapted it from a post that appeared on The Voice of One last year. *** Last year, I read Pope Francis’s encyclical, “Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home.” In it, the Pope lays out his views “on the environment and human ecology.”…
Beef and Bourbon
Mahatma Gandhi famously complained that converting to Christianity meant converting to beef and bourbon. Some Indian converts also wore European clothing. This offended Gandhi’s religious and cultural sensibilities. Christianity’s interaction with culture has a complicated history. All of us live Christianity in our particular time, place, and culture. The eternal Word comes in our flesh,…
Wanted: A Few Good Idiots
This past weekend, I had the following article published in the religion section of our local paper. I posted a slightly different version on The Voice of One two years ago. Given America’s current political climate, I feel like the thoughts in this article are especially relevant. *** “The Idiot” is a book by Russian…
Poly-meism
How does a grain of sand outweigh a desert? How does a drop of water flood the world? How does a voice shout down a nation? How does each of us create their own heavens and earth, subject to personal fiat? How can we breathe? How can we be free? How can we live in…
Death Defying
Recently, President Obama directed American public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom corresponding to the sex they identify with. The Obama administration says this is just a recommendation. But schools that don’t comply risk losing federal funding. It’s an optionless option. I was furious. Transgenderism is a complex issue our nation is…
The Voice of One 