Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 195
December 28, 2015
Still praying for the souls of the Fuggers
There were the Robber Barons, the 1%, and those the Democrats demonize as “the rich.” But they are Salvation Army bell ringers compared to Jakob Fugger, the 16th century money man who was one of the founders of the banking system and a prime mover in many of the royal schemes, shady investments, and bribery [Read More...]
December 25, 2015
Have a merry Christmas and a happy Christmas
Two years ago, I did a post on the difference between “merry Christmas” and “happy Christmas.” (It has mainly to do, I argued, with the difference between American English, which tends to retain older constructions, such as “merry,” and British English, which favors “happy,” supposedly due to Victorian-era qualms against carousing at Christmas, which “merry” [Read More...]
The third generation
For one millisecond somehow caught on camera, everyone was looking into the camera (except for the shepherd).
December 24, 2015
Santa Claus, Confessor
St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra back in the 4th century. He has become one of the most popular saints among Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox, the patron saint of sailors, children, prisoners, pawnbrokers, to name just a few. He also mutated into the emblem of Christmas, Santa Claus. (Say “Saint Nicholas” real [Read More...]
“Happy Federal Holiday”
A Florida professor is proposing in the name of inclusivity a season’s greeting that will be supremely politically correct and, I would add, a tribute to the new god of our day, from whom many people seek their every good: “Happy Federal Holiday.” From This Week in PC Run Amok: School Professor Calls on Students [Read More...]
Lutheran vs. other traditions’ Christmas songs
The latest Christmas offering from Hans Fiene at Lutheran Satire: In defense of Anglican Christmas songs, it’s not wrong in poetry to give vivid descriptive details that evoke the scene in the reader’s or singer’s imagination. The technique is called “Composition of Place” and derives from 17th century meditative practices that were popular in England. [Read More...]
December 23, 2015
Another explanation for the Bethlehem star
Bible scholar Colin R. Nicholl argues that the Star of Bethlehem was really a comet, a moving celestial object that was considered a type of star in ancient astronomy. From What Kind of Astronomical Marvel was the Star of … | Christianity Today: What evidence is there that the star was a comet? The star [Read More...]
The claim that Muslims and Christians worship the same God
We Missouri Synod Lutherans went through this controversy some years ago. . . .A professor at Wheaton College, a leading evangelical institution where I was once visiting professor, was suspended for claiming that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. (The media reports say that it was for wearing the hijab, the Islamic head-covering for [Read More...]
Top 10 news stories of 2015
The Associated Press released the results of its poll of journalists on the top 10 stories of 2015. Number 1: ISIS. Number 2: Gay marriage ruling by Supreme Court. See the complete list after the jump. Would you change the order of any of these stories, based on their long term significance? What were some [Read More...]
December 22, 2015
C.S. Lewis, secret agent?
The discovery of a recording of a lecture by C. S. Lewis has connected him to the British Secret Service during World War II. From Harry Lee Poe, C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Government Agent | Christianity Today: As I browsed eBay not long ago, I came across a 78 rpm recording of a lecture [Read More...]
