Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 264
March 4, 2015
A Lutheran reading list
Thanks for those suggestions about funny reading and serious reading. They are very helpful and give me ideas for lots of good reading. Now T. R. Halvorson has put together a reading list for Lutheran laypeople, divided into “beginning,” “intermediate,” and “further on.” See the list after the jump. Are there other titles you would [Read More...]
Congress & Netanyahu defy Obama
The Executive branch is supposed to conduct the nation’s foreign policy. But the congressional Republican leadership i invited Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress. President Obama was not so much as informed, so he refused to meet the leader of one of America’s top allies in the Middle East. [Read More...]
The value of Christian colleges
A major secular educator, David Coleman, spent some time at Wheaton College, which taught him that Christian colleges have an important part to play in American higher education. Michael Gerson quotes him, after the jump. From Michael Gerson, An appeal for ‘patient pluralism’ – The Washington Post: The point, he told me, is not “merely [Read More...]
March 3, 2015
Luther’s favorite Bible verses
You know those 76 red volumes of the collected works of Luther in English? Well, there are a lot more writings by the Reformer that have not been translated into English. Concordia Publishing House is adding more translations to the series, including this Volume 77 of the Church Postils (a series of sermons meant to [Read More...]
“Wizard of Oz” and the Indians
The Oneida tribe has been leading the charge against the Washington Redskins’ name. But now that tribe is itself caught in a controversy over its plans to open a casino in Chittenango, N.Y. That was the home of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Plans for the casino, to be [Read More...]
Parents who let kids walk home lose their child neglect case
We’ve blogged about the Maryland parents who let their 10 year-old son and 6-year-old daughter walk home from a park by themselves, whereupon they were charged with child neglect. (See this and this.) Well, the Child Protective Services ruled against them, saying that they were responsible for “unsubstantiated child neglect,” meaning that they are on [Read More...]
March 2, 2015
Cancelling church
Yet more weekend snow storms. . . .Local news where we are, on the road for our “Spring Break” (!), showed lots of churches cancelling services. I don’t remember that happening until a few years ago. All kinds of churches were scrolling the news on the screen. (Do Catholic churches have to get some kind [Read More...]
The conservatives’ choice?
Three thousand conservative activists held a convention known as CPAC and were wooed by prospective Republican presidential candidates. In the final straw poll, Rand Paul won, for the third year in a row, with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker coming in a close second. Jeb Bush came in fifth, despite busing in supporters to drown out [Read More...]
Why we have eyelashes
Scientists have discovered why we, as well as all mammals, have eyelashes. From Scientists reveal the real reason you have eyelashes – LA Times: The mysterious function of eyelashes has been revealed at last — thanks to science. After measuring the dimensions of nearly two dozen mammal eyes, performing a series of wind tunnel experiments [Read More...]
February 27, 2015
Note on the “justifying” series
I’ve been doing a series of posts about what I am getting from a book I am reading: Living by Faith by Oswald Bayer. (For earlier posts on the subject, see this and this. and this.) He makes the point that the term “justification” is not just a theological term. Rather, it is a word [Read More...]
