Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 276
January 14, 2015
If we found another epistle by St. Paul. . .
What if archaeologists discovered a parchment that turned out to be the missing letter to the Corinthians alluded to in 1 Cor. 5:9? And what if it were filled with really powerful and helpful teachings? Should it be added to the Bible? The answer is. . . NO! Rob Phillips explains why in FIRST-PERSON: Is [Read More...]
Why do the winners riot?
Ohio State beat Oregon to win the collegiate football championship, the first one under the new playoff system. Question: Why in America do fans of the winners of big games riot, setting fires, breaking things, threatening cops? In other countries, sports violence is a problem, but my impression is that it’s usually losers and fans [Read More...]
Beware the leap second?
On June 30, an extra second will be added to the Bureau of Standard’s atomic clocks. This is so that our clocks will align more precisely with the rotation and orbit of the Earth. The fear is that this will throw off the world’s computers, and, particularly, the programs that run the internet. Last time [Read More...]
January 13, 2015
Two songs, two kinds of piety
On the road over the holidays, I heard on the radio these two songs, one right after the other. It occurred to me that they represent two different kinds of piety, two different kinds of “relationships with Jesus Christ.” Listen to them after the jump. What’s the difference?
When offensive speech deserves defending
Columnist Ross Douthat, a conservative Catholic, has an interesting and nuanced take on the Charlie Hebdo attacks, how purposefully offensive speech is wrong–and yet, if someone threatens to murder a person over it, that speech becomes something good, something that deserves defending. You need to read the whole column, including Mr. Douthat’s points about why [Read More...]
Claiming religious exemption without the religion
The National Labor Relations Board has said that colleges, in general, must allow professors to join a union. To objections by church-related institutions, the board said that religious institutions may be exempt only if its professors actively promote and carry out a distinctly religious mission. If the professors in a church-related institution do NOT carry [Read More...]
January 12, 2015
Persecution rates
Open Doors has released statistics about the persecution of Christians in 2014: how many Christians were killed because of their faith (double what it was last year, and triple what it was the year before that); the number of attacks on churches; and the different ways Christians are being persecuted (including “cultural marginalization”). It also [Read More...]
Free community college?
President Obama wants to provide two free years of community college to all Americans, at the government’s expense. Do you think this would be a good idea or a bad idea? (My view after the jump.) I think it’s a bad idea. Among many other reasons, it would wreak havoc with traditional colleges and universities, [Read More...]
The French 9/11.
Islamic terrorists, having attacked the offices of the humor magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing twelve, struck again in Paris, attacking t a Jewish kosher grocery store, killing four hostages. The French held a huge rally Sunday–the largest in the history of that nation of popular uprisings–in support of the victims of the terrorists, and other European [Read More...]
January 9, 2015
The offering Christ wants from us
The Wise Men gave Christ gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What gift do you think Christ most wants from you? Pastor Douthwaite in his Epiphany sermon said that the offering Christ most wants from us is our sins. From Rev. James Douthwaite, St. Athanasius Lutheran Church: Epiphany of Our Lord Sermon: So what you’ve [Read More...]
