Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 289
November 19, 2014
How a French atheist became a Christian
Guillaume Bignon tells how he was converted from atheism to Christianity, going on to become a theologian. It’s a telling story. From Guillaume Bignon, How a French Atheist Becomes a Theologian | Christianity Today: If French atheists rarely become evangelical Christians, how much rarer it is for one to become an evangelical Christian theologian. So [Read More...]
November 18, 2014
Source for Christian Art & Design
Some Christian artists, of the confessional Lutheran variety, tired of schlocky and doctrinally vapid Christian cards and gifts, have put together a website that offers an alternative: Ad Crucem ☩ Christian Art & Design with Discernment ☩ To The Cross with Art & Word!. From About Us: Ad Crucem (Latin for “to the Cross”) grew [Read More...]
Immigration amnesty by executive order
President Obama, having been unable to get his way in Congress and now faced with a Republican majority in both houses, is reportedly preparing to impose immigration reform by executive fiat. granting amnesty to millions of people who are here illegally. From Karen Tumulty and Katie Zezima, Obama’s potential immigration plan could enter uncharted territory [Read More...]
Two ways towards Net Neutrality
President Obama has embraced the principle of “net neutrality,” meaning that internet providers shouldn’t charge some big-content providers more than others. Towards that end, the President wants to regulate the internet like any other utility. As opposed to just tailoring a specific and limited regulation dealing with the issue. He wants to take over the [Read More...]
November 17, 2014
Why pastors’ housing allowance is tax-exempt
As we reported, an appeals court upheld the practice of pastors not having to pay taxes on their housing allowance. But, you might ask, why is that? Joe Carter explains the history of that provision, putting it into the context of the laws exempting religious property from taxation that go back through English Common Law [Read More...]
Why non-conformists look the same
A mathematician took up the topic of hipsters. Specifically, why different individuals who try not to conform to what is seen as normal end up looking and acting very much like each other. After the jump, read the details, link to the math, and consider my thoughts on the matter, which offers a different account [Read More...]
The Obamacare confession
When I heard about the Obama operative who said that the passage of Obamacare was helped by Americans’ “stupidity,” I assumed it was just a gaffe, with which Republicans could play “gotcha.” But it turns out, the comment was in the context of a frank explanation in front of a friendly liberal audience at MIT [Read More...]
November 14, 2014
Pastors’ housing allowance upheld
Pastors have traditionally been allowed to take a large percentage of their salary as a tax-free housing allowance. A lower court last year ruled that the benefit is unconstitutional. But now an appeals court has overturned that decision, meaning that the housing allowance is still on. From Good News for Pastors: Court Overturns Atheist Victory [Read More...]
“Two Kingdoms” from another Lutheran at Patheos
Another Lutheran joins me here at Patheos, Rebecca Florence Miller. She has made a splash already with her post Why Christians Should Stand Up for Atheists, which makes the case that religious liberty is for everyone, including those who reject religion. (Atheists are reportedly astounded that a conservative Christians is standing up for [Read More...]
Landing on a comet
A probe from the European Space Agency landed on a comet, an object just two and half miles wide, 300 million miles away. That’s quite a feat of engineering. From Rachel Feltman, Rosetta mission lands its probe on a comet and makes history – The Washington Post: Throughout human history, comets have been distant, mysterious [Read More...]
