RECENT COMMENTS
By evan miller on March 15, 2010 at 1:33 pm [comment link]
From the entry: World Magazine on Christ Church Savannah--Bricks and mortar
Fr. Handy,
I agree completely with all you say, as usual. When our parish was faced with the actions of CG2003 and ultimately departed TEC, losing our beloved church buildings, I was certainly driven to the Scriptures to a degree I’d never experienced before. However, I see that lovely old edifice being used by one of the most revisionist Dioceses in TEC to sell a counterfiet version of Christianity (they hosted KJS two weeks ago) and it breaks my heart.
It’s indeed wonderful though that Christ Church Savannah is experiencing such marvelous growth, both in numbers and in discipleship. They, and all parishes and dioceses that either have departed or are departing TEC are in my prayers daily.
By Frances S Scott on March 15, 2010 at 1:30 pm [comment link]
From the entry: Rod Dreher--Journalists should deal with religion respectfully but ask hard questions
I spent 1982-1993 in Americus, GA, working in one way or another with the HFH homeowners, most of whom were African American.
The local “voodoo” practice was referred to “root working”, and while it was practiced by only a small minority of the people, it had tremendous negative effect on the lives of those people. One dear elderly lady sat on newspapers in the middle of the floor of her new house because “someone had put a curse on her”; it was only after a rootworker was engaged to remove the curse that she was able to live a “normal” life in her new HFH house. My co-worker and I went to visit a young single mother who generally had great pride in keeping up her new HFH house because we had observed that she had not cut the grass in a couple of weeks signalling that all was not well. We found her wild eyed from lack of sleep, all the beds moved into the living room and all the lights on in the house. She had stayed awake night after night to keep her children safe. Her father had been a rootworker, her mother a Christian, and she and her sister both Christians. She told us that she and her sister had been sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table just visiting when they each saw something very evil coming from the other’s eyes. We explained more fully to her the power that she had through Jesus to overcome any evil influence in her life and we prayed with her for deliverance and increase of faith. She returned to the joy and confidence she had known before and was able to help her sister renew her faith and work through that bad experience.
Frances Scott
By New Reformation Advocate on March 15, 2010 at 1:25 pm [comment link]
From the entry: World Magazine on Christ Church Savannah--Bricks and mortar
That’s understandable, evan (#1).
But I thought it was a wonderful, totally sympathetic write up. Nor surprising in that World Magazine is an evangelical publication.
However, I thought it was encouraging how rector Marc Robertson could testify that memership was up (28 new families in one year), along with the level of energy, enthusiasm, and not least, the level of biblical literacy. These sorts of intense conflicts do indeed force us to go back and search the Scritpures to see why we believe what we say we believe and why it’s important enough to suffer for.
The orthodox are willing to follow John Wesley out the door, if forced out, and preach in the open air. But I’d certainly prefer that they win the court fight. As they surely ought to do, if any real justice prevails.
David Handy+
By evan miller on March 15, 2010 at 1:02 pm [comment link]
From the entry: World Magazine on Christ Church Savannah--Bricks and mortar
Still. If TEC ends up with Christ Church, the building I mean, they will use it to entice and mislead the unwary who enter therein into thinking they are worshipping in a Christian Church, when in fact, they will not be. If Christ Church loses the lawsuits, I would rather see lightening strike that gorgeous building and burn it to the ground, than for it to be defiled in such a manner.
By Pb on March 15, 2010 at 12:50 pm [comment link]
From the entry: Rod Dreher--Journalists should deal with religion respectfully but ask hard questions
Several years ago I read a book called Their Blood Cries Out. It was about the matyrs of our time and why the press does notice this. The author believes that the press sees religion as part of the culture and not the shaper of culture. Look no further than voodoo.
By Dilbertnomore on March 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
It matters not whose ox is gored so long as it isn’t one’s own ox. Other people’s money (OPM) is much the same. There is no greater generosity to be achieved than that done in the name of the “people” using the seemingly unlimited supply of OPM to fuel fire. In thermodynamics there is a lovely theory that allows an energy transformation process to continue indefinitely with no need to add fuel. It is called the Carnot Cycle. Folks who find ++Rowen’s and Curtis’ thoughts on the subject cogent fervently believe in it. They also believe there is such a thing as a free lunch.
Dopes.
By Dilbertnomore on March 15, 2010 at 12:28 pm [comment link]
From the entry: Yves Smith--NY Fed Under Geithner Implicated in Lehman Accounting Fraud Allegation
So what do we have here? Tim Geithner, the same guy whose dog ate his tax returns (metaphorically) and yet is now the head tax collector also seems to be the guy who led the NY FRB’s hand-in-hand collusion with Lehman Brother’s through an Alice In Wonderland-like foray of chicanery and fleecing of the same Treasury Geithner now heads. Who knew? What could go wrong?
You just can’t make this stuff up.
By CanaAnglican on March 15, 2010 at 12:26 pm [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
#56. Mark,
Neither mocking, nor insincerity was meant by me. Please be assured that I pray for the PB and TEC. Even though I am a member of a CANA congregation in Virginia, I winter in Florida and, for three months each year, attend a wonderful Episcopal church in the Dio. of Central FL. It is just as orthodox as my home church.
My point, perhaps poorly stated, is that I see little evidence of the ABC being a great theologian, and none whatsoever for the PB. In fairness to her, I do not think she claims to be a theologian. Is not the real tragedy here that most of what either of them does is to draw the power completely out of the Gospel? People, we have Good News, and this is the time of the year to spread it. May God bless them both and empower them to join us in broadcasting the seed of the Gospel.
By Dilbertnomore on March 15, 2010 at 12:20 pm [comment link]
From the entry: Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams: 'The finality of Christ in a pluralist world'
For ++Rowen the ultimate expression of intellect is the skill he has refined to distill his precious and ineffable thoughts into a mass of seemingly randomly arranged words whose meaning is comprehensible to none. And he does it so very, very well and with exceeding consistency.
By Anglicanum on March 15, 2010 at 12:10 pm [comment link]
From the entry: Nancy Gibbs in the most recent Time Magazine--Generation Next
I’m right there with you, S&TofN;.
By J. Champlin on March 15, 2010 at 11:55 am [comment link]
From the entry: Peter Faass offers his Thoughts
Just sad. An exact mirror of the polarization that is undermining our government—in this instance, an Episcopalian rejects “literalism” by offering inadequate, no, make that empty comments on the Gospel. And this is supposed to be our choice, with no third way. To latch on to the footwashing episode without seeing that its meaning is in reference to Jesus’ hour and his glorification is to make a travesty of John’s Gospel. It reduces “love” to a simple human possibility apart from belief in Christ If that’s it, well, we already have the Beatles.
By MarkP on March 15, 2010 at 11:42 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
As an aside, this week’s episode of the BBC’s “Everyday Ethics” has a discussion of the ABC’s speech that covers some of the ground the comments here have. In it, one of the commentators, Dr. Wallace Thompson, chairman of the Caleb Foundation (which calls itself “an evangelical pressure group”) says, “Rowan Williams is an enemy of Christ and an ungodly man.” It’s the first thing in the broadcast, which can be found here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ethics/
By Sick & Tired of Nuance on March 15, 2010 at 11:10 am [comment link]
From the entry: Nancy Gibbs in the most recent Time Magazine--Generation Next
Well, my parents and my wife’s parents are divorced. We were both Latchkey kids. We are home schooling our children.
My anger isn’t at you specifically; it is at the Boomer generation in general. I know that there were many exceptions and that fine folks are lumped in. To the good people of the Boomer generation, I offer apologies and condolences.
And yes, I know that I made another typo in my second post.
“another mans prophetic” should be “another man’s prophetic”
By Fr. Dale on March 15, 2010 at 10:51 am [comment link]
From the entry: Nancy Gibbs in the most recent Time Magazine--Generation Next
#3. Sick and Tired of Nuance,
I just remember when we said we were going to do a better job than our parents (The ones Tom Brokaw called “the greatest generation”). Well, we didn’t. God bless you and your generation and may you do a better job.
By Fr. Dale on March 15, 2010 at 10:32 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
#56. MarkP,
I have to ask, does no one here see a problem with using the phrase “God bless her” in such a mocking, insincere way?
And how do you know the mind of CanaAnglican in what was said?
By Sick & Tired of Nuance on March 15, 2010 at 10:32 am [comment link]
From the entry: Nancy Gibbs in the most recent Time Magazine--Generation Next
Thanks for the spell check Fr. Dale. A little condescension is always just the thing to prick a younger man’s self-righteousness, don’t ya think?
I don’t think the Millenials are losers. I think they are a terrific bunch of kids and will do what I can to help them along; unlike the treatment the Boomers gave the Latch-key Gen-Xers.
It sounds like you took Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire song to heart. It doesn’t really matter. The Boomers are bankrupting the nation right this very minute. Soon, we will no longer be able to pay the interest on the debt, let alone the principle. The Boomer generation will be begging for bread from their Latchkey kids…the ones they didn’t abort, that is. Perhaps the illegal immigrants they gave jobs to, rather than their own children, will be there for the Boomers. Or, maybe the nations the Boomers outsourced jobs to will forgive the debt.
Never forget, one man’s self-righteousness is another mans prophetic voice. Maybe the Boomers will learn to “live into” it.
By Cennydd on March 15, 2010 at 10:21 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
There is one other thing which I haven’t seen mentioned on this, or any other blog: We have in this country a Federal service dedicated to public health….a uniformed service. It is called the United States Public Health Service. They once ran USPHS hospitals and serviced the Coast Guard and the maritime industries, and it seems to me that if they could do it then, why can’t they do it now? Why not reestablish USPHS hospitals and put our tax money to work providing medical care to those who so desperately need it the most? Just an idea.
By Cennydd on March 15, 2010 at 10:13 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
I hate to say this, but it appears that we have a ‘snowball’s chance in Hell’ for ever getting anything remotely resembling healthcare legislation passed without piling up an even more massive national debt. I’d much rather we have health insurance pools, or something of that nature where one could shop around for coverage at a reasonable price. Let public healthcare be reserved for the indigent.
By Katherine on March 15, 2010 at 10:09 am [comment link]
From the entry: Monday Mental Health Break: A Squirrel's Efforts to get to a Birdfeeder go Awry
I had one of those. It broke quickly. Neither spin, nor hot pepper, will stop squirrels from eating bird seed for very long. The only effective system is my husband with a beebee gun.
By MarkP on March 15, 2010 at 10:09 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
“And, God bless her, the PB knows no theology at all.”
When people get talking in a group where everyone agrees, lines can be crossed and things can begin to look ugly even though the participants don’t mean it that way. I’m not personally attacking anyone, but I have to ask, does no one here see a problem with using the phrase “God bless her” in such a mocking, insincere way?
By TLDillon on March 15, 2010 at 10:07 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
Amen, Br. Michael Amen!
By Fr. Dale on March 15, 2010 at 10:01 am [comment link]
From the entry: Nancy Gibbs in the most recent Time Magazine--Generation Next
1. Sick and Tired of Nuance,
totally narcisistic[narcissistic] Boomer profligacy
Too bad you are sandwiched between two loser generations. Don’t be surprised when your generation is criticized even if it is only for being so self righteous but my guess at age 65 is that your generation will make it’s share of errors too.
By CanaAnglican on March 15, 2010 at 9:56 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
38. Albany+ wrote:
The Archbishop is a better theologian than the bunch of us put together on T19.
—
What a joke. If this were true, God save us from theologians. The ABC is, at best, an unclear presenter of a non-biblical theology. And, God bless her, the PB knows no theology at all.
By Dilbertnomore on March 15, 2010 at 9:42 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
The trouble with expecting an academic to do something practical like, say, convey the message of Jesus Christ clearly and effectively, is best described in the allegory of the random professor of philosophy who volunteered to take his neighbor’s dog for a walk. All went well except the professor hadn’t noticed, until it was pointed out by the surprised and upset dog’s owner, that he had returned with someone else’s dog. The owner’s dog had been misplaced.
By Br. Michael on March 15, 2010 at 9:37 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
That is what is so scary. The numbers are unimaginably huge. They are so large that they loose all meaning. I truly can’t believe that our politicians want to incur such debt.
By Sick & Tired of Nuance on March 15, 2010 at 9:33 am [comment link]
From the entry: USA Today--States may hold onto tax refunds for months
Reduce your witholdings for next year. Don’t give the government a free loan that they can fail to repay at their discretion.
Another option is to amend your current filing and change the selection of being paid back this year to applying it to next year’s taxes, and then reduce your witholding.
Regardless, write to your state representatives and tell them what programs to cut spending on.
By Sick & Tired of Nuance on March 15, 2010 at 9:22 am [comment link]
From the entry: Nancy Gibbs in the most recent Time Magazine--Generation Next
Sorry Nancy, you may “rather think” whatever fantasy you like, but Aristotle has credibility and durability for a reason.
The Boomers are passed out in a stupor on the couch again, and we Gen-Xers are doing our best to clean up the mess and put things into some semblance of order, while our Millenial siblings are too young to understand that the mortgage is overdue and we are all about to be evicted in the morning.
Is anyone really surprised by the fact that marijuana use by seniors is going up as the Boomers age? What a feckless generation! The only silver lining I see is the imminent national bankruptcy that will end the profligacy of the Boomer generation. We Gen-Xers are going to suffer for what the Boomers have done, but if we go bankrupt and end all the entitlements, we just might be able to make things better for our children…something we cannot do while we are saddled with the totally narcisistic Boomer profligacy.
We are the 13th Generation. The duty is ours.
By Agast on March 15, 2010 at 9:02 am [comment link]
From the entry: Vatican: Pope was 'completely extraneous' to Munich sex abuse decision
#10 - Again, I refer you to Pedophiles and Priests, by Phillip Jenkins. Most of what I write comes from him, my professional experience with sex offenders, and reading on the Catholic situation since 2002. Jenkins is a professor of at Penn State. He notes that in the 50s and 60s, roughly, professional thought was that handling sex abuse cases quietly was better for the children. To this day, families (where most sex abuse occurs) tend to hide and deny the problem. Moreover, professional psychologists told us all, including the bishops, that therapy would take care of the problem. We don’t believe that today, but they did then. That’s the way things were, right or wrong.
That’s what distinguishes the RC cases—the large numbers of victims abused by that “tiny” number of priests.
Actually, it doesn’t. One study of incarcerated sex offenders showed an average of several hundred victims each (I’m thinking 500, but it was probably around 200; I’ve known several sex offenders with 100-200 admitted victims). As a matter of fact, most of the accused priests had one allegation. The real predators (like Rudy Kos) are truly rare, in the general sex offender population and among among accused Catholic priests. The facts simply don’t support differentiating offending priests from other offenders. In any case, the point of noting percentages of priests involved is that it’s about the same as any group of men with access to children.
Which is my entire point: this is a social problem, not a Catholic problem specifically. I am “aghast” (the system dropped the “h”) at scapegoating one particular group for a problem common to our social mileau. The first step in solving a problem is to correctly define it. Pushing one’s particular religious agenda does not contribute to a correct definition.
By Sick & Tired of Nuance on March 15, 2010 at 9:01 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
I can’t say for certain, but I have come to think that it won’t matter if this piece of trash legislation actually passes or not. We simply do not have the money to pay for it. The median income in the US is about $44,000 a year (2004). The current debt load per member of the U.S. working population is $60,100, (February 2008). Exacerbating that fact is a real unemployment level of about 17%.
Then, with Social Security, Medicare, other unfunded liabilities, and the interest payments on a national debt that currently exceeds $12.3 trillion; the cost will exceed 80% of all federal revenues in less than 10 years. The projected deficits will add another $1.5 Trillion per year to the debt over those ten years.
The Health Care bill, optimistically, is set to add yet another $1 Trillion to that enormous debt load.
They can write whatever blank check they want. The simple fact is…the money to pay for it just isn’t there. If wishes and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.
By Sarah on March 15, 2010 at 8:56 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
RE: “Saying that “the Gospel is clear” is an argument only to those who already believe the Gospel; what do you say to those who do not?”
Oh good—I get to disagree with Ross! ; > )
While I agree with Ross that the headline as usual does a [deliberate?] disservice to what RW actually said, he hasn’t done a bit of good actually communicating to those who do not believe the Gospel.
But then, I don’t think that’s RW’s point either [though he certainly may believe that is his point]. I think his main role in writing for the public is to foster the perception that he’s a scholarly, objective thinker, albeit a Christian.
End of story.
Those who deem themselves to be scholarly, objective thinkers will no doubt read and nod their heads occasionally. That’s great. Of course . . . that’s a very very very teensy percentage of the UK—those who deem themselves scholarly, objective thinkers. But hey—at least he may have communicated with that segment of few people out of the audience who read the Times!
I’m happy for him.
By Pageantmaster on March 15, 2010 at 8:55 am [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
Plus, if you want to see what would happen to the country if it followed Rowan Williams’ financial advice you can get a pretty good idea from the mess the Church of England’s finances have got into during his tenure.
By Pageantmaster on March 15, 2010 at 8:46 am [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
My heart sinks when I see something by Rowan Williams nowadays. It was not always so.
“Of course it won’t be easy to secure universal compliance among all nations. But many argue that even a country unilaterally imposing such a tax – perhaps starting with a currency tax – would generate a huge amount of fresh income and not lose its economic competitiveness. Could Britain take the lead and unilaterally champion the first steps towards a form of taxation that may radically transform the relationship between rich and poor?”
When the Labour Party came to power they inherited a country which had some of the lowest taxation in Europe, low government debt, the fourth largest economy of the world and with a massive service sector supporting the position of London as one of the three leading financial and banking centers of the world. London has a good position in its time zone to service the world’s financial transactions and an educated and experienced workforce to encourage banks and employers to locate here, good communications and a pleasant and relatively safe environment to live in.
Coming up to an election this year Britain is one of the most highly taxed countries in Europe, has massive and spiralling government debt and under the burden of high taxes, debt, high cost of living and expensive property has become uncompetitve and is slipping down the economic rankings. Banks and financial instititutions are already considering their position here.
What we need like a hole in the head is a “Robin Hood” tax to drive the financial institutions out of London, destroy jobs, collapse the property market and leave all the support businesses reliant upon the financial sector [including the government for the taxes they pay] without any customers.
There is no magic to this, it will happen, as has happened before. A US example is in the 1960’s JFK announced that he would tax Greek overseas businesses with an office in New York on their international earnings. Overnight the Greek Shipping interests managing their fleets from New York left and never returned. Before he did it, they told him what would happen, but he did it any way.
This latest article follows a run of badly judged pronouncements including Rowan Williams’ stupid comments on Sharia Law which no doubt the remaining Christians of Jos are reflecting on. We had the embarrasment of his comments to service men and women returning from a very difficult time in Iraq. Williams purports to speak for the church but does so off the cuff without consulting anybody, or thinking through the consequences of what he says before he mouths off.
He is a liability and a foolish intellectually arrogant man - I am coming to the conclusion that we can no longer afford him shooting his mouth off and cocking everything up.
By Daniel on March 15, 2010 at 8:36 am [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
This tax is a classic case of using a shotgun, where a rifle is more appropriate. There are plenty of small traders and small to medium trading and brokerage businesses who will be decimated by such a tax. If, as most people agree, the current economic problems were caused, at least in part, by large Wall Street firms; e.g. Goldman Sachs, why not target just them instead of everyone who trades?
I am truly amazed that anyone could consider such a tax as stimulative. There are any number of studies that show exactly the opposite. But, it always easy to fix things with other people’s money, especially when it won’t really affect your lifestyle. I guess just like cheap grace there is cheap social justice.
By billqs on March 15, 2010 at 8:33 am [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
London, New York, and Frankfurt are the financial centers of the world, but there is nothing to make traders use one of these centers. If you tax transactions in London, the investors will either go somewhere else, or find a way to pass the tax onto the end user. If New York then regulates the life out of these trades, investors could abandon it as well. Do we really want a global economy run out of Bangkok or the Cayman Islands?
As for stimulating the economy, unless you are talking about jobs from a bloated government, there is no credible way to stimulate the economy by taking more money away from those who provide jobs.
The Keynesian model followed by the current administration here in the US has brought us greater debt in just 15 months than the entire history of the country combined, yet it still hasn’t generated much life in the private sector, though everything’s coming up roses in the public sector.
It’s funny how ++Rowan can be relatively straightforward about leftist economic principals (and before anybody jumps me on that, he has called himself a “hairy leftist” in his politics) yet he requires an interpretor everytime he gives a sermon about the uniqueness of Christ.
By Br. Michael on March 15, 2010 at 8:25 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
So is Jesus unique and final only for Christians or for all. Is Jesus the way the truth and the life for just Christians (our Truth) or for all humanity?
By billqs on March 15, 2010 at 8:18 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
#9 I think you have a war right now in the Democractic party, not unlike the war currently in TEC. You have the ideologues who want to push through their agenda no matter the consequences, and you have liberal to moderate pragmatists who don’t want to walk straightforward into a slaughterhouse in the mid-term election.
The battle is TEC appears over- the ideologues have won and don’t care about declining membership or anything else other than their agenda. The Democrats are also controlled by ideologues, but there just might be enough gumption among the pragmatists to stall the engine of “progress”.
By John Wilkins on March 15, 2010 at 7:59 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
Hm. Brother Michael here are a couple quotes:
“So, ‘uniqueness’ and ‘finality’: we believe as Christians that because of Jesus Christ a new phase in human history – not just the history of the Middle East or of Europe – has opened. There is now a community representing on earth the new creation, a restored humanity. There is now on earth a community which proclaims God’s will for universal reconciliation and God’s presence in and among us leading us towards full humanity. That is something which happens as a result of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.”
“In short and in conclusion, belief in the uniqueness and finality of Jesus Christ – for all the assaults made upon it in the modern age – remains for the Christian a way of speaking about hope for the entire human family.”
I’m quite aware that when speaking with other evangelicals it’s nice to have the badge, the seal, the easy label, the reminder of knowing where one stands. Rowan, perhaps, isn’t lecturing to the already converted - you already know the answer. He’s lecturing to those people who need a bit more convincing.
#49 - this is a fair question. From the reexamining side he hasn’t helped us much either. Personally, I’m skeptical that any archbishop will save us. That, perhaps is for God. And perhaps its up to us to d the work.
By trimom on March 15, 2010 at 7:34 am [comment link]
From the entry: Lives of Haiti orphans, Tennessee churchgoers collide
CMEO- cried my eyes out!!! beautifully written story.
By Katherine on March 15, 2010 at 7:28 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
I find it astounding that some Democrats can actually think they’ll be better off politically if they pass this thing than if they don’t, considering that only the core Democratic base supports it. Independents now decide elections, and independents have swung heavily against this.
By elanor on March 15, 2010 at 6:31 am [comment link]
From the entry: Aggressive measures to treat diabetics make many of them worse, studies show
It’s been just over 2 years since I was diagnosed with Type II. I skipped the oral meds (lots of side effects) and just went with daily basal insulin (they’ve got some nice long-lasting ones now, and its more natural). I took the “lifestyle changes” deadly seriously, lost weight, and got very disciplined about my carb intake and exercise. I was able to go off the insulin after 10 months, with my blood glucose, cholesterol and BP all in normal healthy ranges.
Sure, it’s a pain to skip the sweet tea, and only take a taste of the baked goods someone brings to the office, but being able to manage this without enriching the pharmaceutical industry or dealing with side effects has its rewards.
By Br. Michael on March 15, 2010 at 6:18 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
Maybe Chris Johnson should try harder too. His conclusion: “I have a request. After reading Dr. Williams’ piece, does anybody know if Rowan Williams considers Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth and the life or not? Because I’m pretty much completely stumped.”
By Br. Michael on March 15, 2010 at 5:56 am [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
JW never met a tax he didn’t like. It’s great to do good with other peoples money.
By Br. Michael on March 15, 2010 at 5:54 am [comment link]
From the entry: As Health Vote Awaits, Future of a Presidency Waits, Too
And as we start on a grand new entitlement scheme there is this:
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – The retirement nest egg of an entire generation is stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable to the Social Security Administration.
It’s time to start cashing them in.
For more than two decades, Social Security collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits — billions more each year.
Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes — nearly $29 billion more.
These funds will be drained by 2037
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_social_security_ious
I am beginning to think that the only difference between Bernie Madoff and the Government is that one is in jail and the other is not.
By Dan Ennis on March 15, 2010 at 5:06 am [comment link]
From the entry: Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams: 'The finality of Christ in a pluralist world'
lec·ture
–noun
1.
a speech read or delivered before an audience or class, esp. for instruction or to set forth some subject.
ser·mon
–noun
1.
a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, esp. one based on a text of Scripture and delivered by a member of the clergy as part of a religious service.
The Archbishop knows the difference.
By rugbyplayingpriest on March 15, 2010 at 4:16 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
It amuses me that the ‘bumbling Dumbledore’ routine still tricks so many people who will defend Williams as a misunderstood academic. Let us put his words to one side and merely contemplate his actions. He does nothing to stop the liberal machine rolling out its agenda and also does nothing to stand up robustly for the orthodox. That is enough for me. The rest is a clever game that deflects heat- using clotted rhetoric to confuse and deliberately saying things that can be interpreted by everyone according to taste.
Take for example the last synod in England. He gives a speech that trads might like the sound of - basically accepting that they feel hard done by. He gives the impression of wanting to help us. But does he actually DO anything? Does he actually rise to our defence? No- he allows us to get a kicking every time then rubs his beard and wrings his hands…..
now IF he is as clever as you say- why does he DO nothing in defence of the faithful and also nothing to stem the rise of liberalism and decay….UNLESS that is his ultimate goal working hand in glove with the hand that (financially) feeds him- being ECUSA?
By Sidney on March 15, 2010 at 3:39 am [comment link]
From the entry: Vatican: Pope was 'completely extraneous' to Munich sex abuse decision
#5 Nope. But I would like to understand why Agast would write the comment that I quoted. It doesn’t seem persuasive to me.
By teatime on March 15, 2010 at 2:24 am [comment link]
From the entry: Vatican: Pope was 'completely extraneous' to Munich sex abuse decision
As I recall, when the abuse problems surfaced in the United States, the Vatican referred to it as a primarily American problem, even though there were reports of the same issue in many other countries. That they wouldn’t even consider that it was widespread was inexcusable and, frankly, stupid. What, they think it’s better to put out the wildfires individually in other countries and distinguish between the “American” problem, then the “Irish” problem, and now the “German” problem? I guess that’s better than having to admit years ago that it’s a systemic problem.
And I’m weary of the tired rhetoric about such a tiny number of priests involved. That may be true BUT it’s NOT a tiny number of victims. A notorious case here in Texas involved one priest molesting several DOZEN victims over the years because of the church policies. He was far from alone in producing those sorts of numbers. That’s what distinguishes the RC cases—the large numbers of victims abused by that “tiny” number of priests. It’s simply unparalleled in other denominations.
By Ralph Webb on March 15, 2010 at 1:33 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
Wow. The negativity here is off the charts for what IMHO is a thoughtful look at how to present Christ in a very secular society. It seems to me that Rowan is almost always writing/speaking for the very secular British skeptic as much as the Church or anyone else he is addressing at the time. And that’s a very different cultural context than what we have in America.
By John Wilkins on March 15, 2010 at 1:07 am [comment link]
From the entry: (Times) Archbishop of Canterbury condemns evangelist 'bullies'
#45 Was it a sermon? I thought it was a speech or an address. I tend to hear sermons differently than lectures, myself.
Granted, it’s not Joel Osteen or Creflo dollar.
By John Wilkins on March 15, 2010 at 1:03 am [comment link]
From the entry: Rowan Williams and Richard Curtis--Sunday Times article on the Robin Hood Tax
Most people who engage in these kinds of activities can afford the tax. After all, many of these trades are speculative, and don’t create much value. They may, however, threaten the entire system.
It’s entirely reasonable for a society to offer disincentives for greed. Especially if we suppose a society has Christian roots. Joseph paid taxes. Jesus said something about Ceasar.
Not only that, it may stimulate the economy.
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