Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 376

What to do about gerrymandered elections?

An issue for election day:  One of the problems in our political system today is that Congressional districts have been drawn up to ensure that each one is a “safe seat” for the incumbent and a particular political party.  That means that voters almost never have competitive elections with genuine choices–unless, that is, the incumbent [Read More...]

A member has been added to your Body

On the Sunday of All Saints yesterday, a new saint was added to the number of saints who constitute Christ’s church.  My new grandson, Thomas Gene Edward Hensley, was baptized. “When[the church]  baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that head which is my head too, and ingraffed [Read More...]

Flying into a crime scene

Flying into California for my grandson’s baptism, I had to connect through LAX.  This was on Friday, the day of the shootings at that airport.  That happened in the morning.  My plane was coming in that afternoon.  We heard about the shootings just before we started to board.  The plane had DirectTV if you wanted [Read More...]

Euthanasia for kids

Belgium is considering a law that would extend “the right to euthanasia” to children, so that they could request their own deaths.  The Washington Post story about this, excerpted after the jump, gives a grisly survey of existing euthanasia laws.  It also quotes an Archbishop who, of course, opposes the proposed law, but on the [Read More...]

Pulling back from the culture wars?

Church historian Martin Marty discusses how conservative Christians are pulling back from the culture wars.  He cites the leadership of Pope Francis for the Roman Catholics and Russell Moore for the Southern Baptists.  An additional factor is the increasing secularization of the conservative movement, citing the Tea Party’s general indifference to moral issues the church [Read More...]

Naming the blessed dead

All Saints’ Day is the Christian Memorial Day, a time to remember loved ones who have died and who now are with all of the other saints, enjoying everlasting life with Christ.  The custom on All Saints’ Day in church is simply to list those who died in the previous year, reading each name as [Read More...]

Becoming the LeBron James of welding

Tip of the hat to my former student Nathan Martin, who is involved with this program in Louisiana that teaches students in troubled high schools to be electricians, welders, or other well-paid skilled technicians.  Read about it after the jump and then consider my questions. From Will Sentell, Students Learn Skills Outside Classroom, The Advocate [Read More...]

Co-opting Halloween for Reformation Day

Today is Reformation Day.  Children will wear masks, symbolizing vocation (as in the princesses, ballerinas, and cowboys) or our sinful nature (as in the witches, zombies, and monsters).  We will give them the free gift of candy, symbolizing the Gospel in all of its sweetness. The pumpkins. . . ummm. . . .When we are [Read More...]

The origins & history of Halloween

Pastor Joseph Abrahamson has a running project of refuting the notion that Christian holidays derived from pagan festivals.  You have got to read what he says about the history of Halloween. He points out, for example, that since days were considered to begin when the sun goes down on the previous day, Halloween is the [Read More...]

A defense of Halloween

Thanks to Colin Cutler for alerting me to this Christian defense of Halloween, including its scary parts.  The author is Roman Catholic, so I’m not sure I can untangle what she’s doing with the Reformation Day reference!  But still, does she make a good point?  Or not? Danielle Bean, Don’t Trade Halloween for Reformation Sunday [Read More...]