Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 109

Tolkien’s newly-discovered Christmas poem

A Christmas poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien was recently discovered.  Entitled “Noel,” Tolkien wrote it in 1936  for a Catholic girls’ school, which printed it in the school yearbook.  Scholars stumbled upon it last year. The poem is quite lovely, with Tolkienesque imagery combined with a strong theme of Incarnation.  I’m not sure [Read More...]

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Statistics on churchgoing at Christmas

Over half of Americans will go to church on Christmas day.  Of those who don’t, 57% said they would be open to an invitation to go. [Note the opportunity.] A LifeWay Research study of churchgoing at Christmas also found that 89% of churches will hold services even though Christmas falls on a Sunday.  [But over [Read More...]

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“That’s Christmas”

Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke writes about how when he was a kid Christmas was hugely exciting, but that it has gotten even better now that he is older. He writes about that, focusing on “a series of moments before, during and after Dec. 25 that make you stop and think: ‘That — that right there — [Read More...]

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Blog news

Merry Christmas, everybody!  I thought I’d pass on some news about the Cranach blog and tell you about what’s coming up next week. Patheos has been bought by the even bigger religious site BeliefNet.  Patheos will have its own identity, the editors will be the same, and it will, as they say, remain its own [Read More...]

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The tragedies behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”

Let me just let Jim Priest, writing in the Daily Oklahoman, tell it: As Christmas carols were sung and Christmas bells rung, Henry thought back on two tremendous tragedies. His loving wife, Frances, had been fatally burned in an accident in their own home. His son, Charles, had been severely wounded in the war. When [Read More...]

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The next scheme to stop Trump

Trump couldn’t be stopped in the Republican primaries, or at the convention, or in the general election, or in the Electoral College.  So now anti-Trump forces are trying to come up with Plan E. The latest idea is to impeach him in his first year.  Trump’s opponents see an opportunity in his business ties and [Read More...]

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Requiring a device to limit semis’ speed

Federal regulators have passed a rule requiring new semi trucks to have a device that would limit their speed to 60, 65, or 68 m.p.h.  It won’t go into effect until next year, which has the agencies worried that Donald Trump might kill the regulations. Read the story after the jump, considering the pros and [Read More...]

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Theological music for Christmas

Ken Myers has written a wonderful post on Christmas music, emphasizing particularly how it is sung by choirs and its connection to worship in the liturgy.  He includes a fascinating discussion of how music can be a contemplation of divine mysteries, as in the harmonies of this piece, “Mirabile mysterium” to this text: “A wondrous mystery [Read More...]

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Terrorist attacks Christmas marketplace

A truck plowed through the crowded Christmas marketplace in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 52.  Some German officials are saying the country is in a “state of war.”  ISIS claims responsibility.  Details after the jump. In other terrorist news, A security guard assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey.  The murderer, whose crime was caught on video, shouted [Read More...]

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Obama stops off-shore drilling before leaving office

President Obama, evidently striking a blow for the environment before Donald Trump takes office, put much of the Eastern seaboard off limits for off-shore drilling.  He invoked a law that reportedly cannot be reversed by a new president. From President Obama bans oil drilling in large areas of Atlantic and Arctic oceans – The Washington Post: [Read More...]

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