Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 27
April 5, 2018
Back to the U.S.A.
We leave Australia early Thursday morning for our 17 hour flight back to the U.S.A. (That doesn’t count our connections from Adelaide to Sydney and Dallas to Oklahoma City, or layovers. We’ll be traveling for over 24 hours.) We have been in Australia for 5 weeks, attending our daughter in the last weeks of her […]
The Vocation of a Christian Police Officer
As controversies roil over police shootings, such as that of Stephon Clark in Sacramento (reportedly shot 8 times in the back), we should remember to honor the vast majority of officers who love and serve their neighbors by putting their lives on the line to protect us. A good example of a Christian police officer carrying […]
April 4, 2018
Bach and His Bible
Is Bach Lutheran? The question is like, “Is the Pope Catholic?” OK, there may now be some question about that, but not about Bach among his fellow Lutherans, who know him as their greatest artist. And yet some critics have been saying that Bach “was a forward-looking, quasi-scientific thinker who had little or no genuine […]
Paying Terrorists with Foreign Aid Money
According to Australian journalist David Adler, the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists for attacking Israelis. Using a sliding scale that rewards terrorism the more deadly it is, terrorists who are imprisoned are given as much as $3,500 per month. The Palestinian Authority’s budget for subsidizing terrorism amounts to 50% of its foreign aid. From David Adler, […]
April 3, 2018
Ignorance about Christianity
It isn’t just that so many people today don’t believe in Christianity. Often, they don’t even know what it is. Holy Week showed some extreme examples of this. In his comment on our Easter post, Carl Vehse gave us this, from “NPR Journalist and Catholic College Graduate Botches Description of Easter”: In an example of stunning […]
Law Makes Websites Liable for Sex Trafficking
Congress has passed a law holding websites criminally liable if they are used for sex trafficking. In response, Craig’s List, Reddit, and other sites have shut down their ads for prostitution. The Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) was passed on March 21, with overwhelming bi-partisan support. The House passed it 388-25, and the Senate […]
April 2, 2018
Good Advice vs. Good News
The essence of Christianity is not good advice, but good news. And there is a big difference. This was the theme of Pastor Josh Pfeiffer’s wonderful Easter Sermon at Bethlehem Lutheran Church here in Adelaide, Australia. Many people assume that Christianity, like other religions, is primarily about offering good advice. That is, what we should do in […]
The Pope, Hell, & the Papacy
An Italian journalist has quoted Pope Francis as saying “there is no hell,” a statement that the Vatican quickly backtracked, referencing an admission by the journalist that his interviews employs “reconstructions” of conversations. But questions remain, including questions about the nature of the papacy. Here is what happened. From Michael W. Chapman, Pope Francis: ‘There Is […]
April 1, 2018
Christ Is Risen!
I love this painting of the Resurrection by Lucas Cranach the Younger (the son of Luther’s friend). It’s filled with light, which has, indeed, overcome the darkness. May all of you have a glorious Easter! Painting by Lucas Cranach the Younger, The Resurrection (1558). Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
March 30, 2018
Our Power Struggle with God
I just got back from our Good Friday service. Here in Australia we’re a day ahead of the U.S.A., so this happened on your Maundy Thursday. I’m writing this post so that it will show up on your Good Friday, our Saturday. The service at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Adelaide was packed and extraordinarily moving. […]
