Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 103
January 18, 2017
Obama commutes Pvt. Manning’s sentence for leaking military secrets
In one of his last official acts, President Obama used his Constitutional power to grant pardons to commute the sentence of Pvt. Bradley Manning, who leaked thousands of military and diplomatic secrets during the Iraq War. Manning, who has served 7 years of a 35 year sentence at the military prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, now goes [Read More...]
January 17, 2017
Who will pray at Trump’s inauguration
The six religious leaders who will offer prayers at Donald Trump’s inauguration have been announced. They include three Pentecostals: Paula White, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, and Samuel Rodriguez. White and Jackson, a black megachurch pastor, are prominent preachers of the “prosperity Gospel.’ (See our earlier post on White.) Rodriguez is a Hispanic Assemblies of God [Read More...]
Trump vows trade deal with UK
In an interview with the London Times [subscription required], Donald Trump promised a quick trade deal with the UK, thus helping its Brexit transition. (British prime minister Theresa May and other Brexit supporters were delighted at the news.) He also gave other indications of what his new foreign policy would be like: He said he [Read More...]
Czech Republic tells citizens to arm themselves
The Czech Republic, perhaps the most pro-gun nation in Europe, has called on its citizens to arm themselves as a line of defense against terrorists. Meanwhile, the former Soviet satellite has been battling the European Union, of which it is a member, which has been trying to pass more gun restrictions. With the help of [Read More...]
January 16, 2017
The world’s favorite Bible verses
Do you have the Bible app YouVersion on your phone? Over 255 million people from around the world do. It gives the entire Bible in over 1500 versions and in over 1,000 languages. (This was originally the project of a church here in Oklahoma.) The technology gives the YouVersion people lots of data. They can [Read More...]
Trump’s moderating cabinet
So far the confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s cabinet picks suggests that his administration will be staffed by fairly moderate Republicans. In fact, the nominees are mostly saying they disagree with their future boss when it comes to Russia, Iran, torture, climate change, banning Muslim immigration, and other topics that Trump made a big deal [Read More...]
Obama gets tough on immigration
With about a week left in office, President Obama has finally cracked down on immigration: against Cubans. Escapees from our Communist neighbor have long been given automatic legal immigrant status once they arrive on our shores. But no more. Now they will be returned for punishment. The Obama administration says that now, in light of [Read More...]
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
To observe Martin Luther King Day, read his classic “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” It was written to fellow pastors who were concerned that a man of the cloth would engage in protests that would get him arrested. The letter is interesting in itself for the case that it makes for civil disobedience, under certain [Read More...]
January 13, 2017
Luther’s influence on German culture
The Economist has a fascinating article on “How Martin Luther has shaped Germany for half a millennium.” I’m not sure how accurate it is. (Luther’s moralism? For the person who insisted that salvation is by grace through faith, rather than good works? Well, maybe so. Maybe this is evidence that an emphasis on faith really [Read More...]
Gay divorce
We have gay marriage. Now we are also getting gay divorce. The New York Times has published an op-ed piece entitled “I Got Gay Married. I Got Gay Divorced. I Regret Both.” The author, Meredith Maran, tells with poignant honesty how she crusaded for gay marriage, took the plunge, but then went through a long, [Read More...]
