Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 267
February 19, 2015
Harper Lee’s not-so-new novel
Quite a few novelists–Joseph Heller, J. D. Salinger, Ralph Ellison–have written one great novel, but then wrote nothing else, or nothing else in its league. One of those writers is Harper Lee, whose To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, makes the bestseller lists to this day. So readers have been excited to hear that [Read More...]
February 18, 2015
Thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our [Read More...]
A video for Lent
Concordia Publishing House has put together an excellent video explaining what Lent is all about. See it after the jump.
Lenten reading
One of my customary Lenten observances is always to read some heavy-duty theology or some deep, deep classics of devotion. Over the years, I’ve read works by Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and more modern theologians like Oswald Bayer. Last year I read Martin Chemnitz, The Two Natures of Christ to my great benefit. Another year, I [Read More...]
Lent and Ash Wednesday are NOT pagan relics (a rerun)
Time to rerun a post from last year: Pastor Joseph Abrahamson dismantles the myth that Lent and its practices have pagan origins. An excerpt from his longer post on the subject: The ancient Church chose to keep a fast during the forty days before Passover/Easter to focus on repentance and the gift of the Resurrection [Read More...]
February 17, 2015
The 12 Funniest Books Ever Written?
In the spirit of Fat Tuesday, in which we go through our cupboards to use up any treats and frivolities before the solemnities of Lent, I would like to draw your attention to Anthony Sacramone’s list of The 12 Funniest Books Ever Written. You need to go to the link to read his paragraphs about [Read More...]
“Baptism is not supposed to be nice”
The Church of England has decided to take out the part in the Baptism liturgy in which the candidate or sponsors answer the questions, “Do you renounce the Devil? And all his works?” British journalist Giles Fraser complains at the attempt to make Baptism nicer, reducing it to a sanitized middle class naming ceremony. From [Read More...]
The mom busted for letting her kids walk home
The mother accused of child neglect for letting her children walk home from the park by themselves tells her story. From Danielle Meitiv, When letting your kids out of your sight becomes a crime – The Washington Post: We all want what is best for our children. We want them to be happy and successful, [Read More...]
Whatever happened to the working class?
When I was in college, I worked on a construction crew, and it did me a lot of good. I developed a lot of respect for the guys I worked with, who worked with their backs and their hands with skills that were far beyond me. Politicians used to talk quite a bit about “the [Read More...]
February 16, 2015
The fastest-selling Playmobil of all time
From Martin Luther Playmobil Toy is Fastest-Selling of All Time: Astronomical sales of a tiny figurine of the Protestant reformation figure Martin Luther, have confounded its maker, Playmobil, by becoming the fastest-selling Playmobil figure of all time. The German toy manufacturer announced this week that the first edition of 34,000 pieces sold out in [Read More...]
