Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 404
June 5, 2013
Funeral update
Well, we are getting back to normal now. Our ill-fated road trip is over, and we are back home. The funeral for my father was more like the second kind of funeral I posted about. It was good to see so many old friends and family members there. I especially appreciated getting to re-connect with [...]
June 4, 2013
The Numinous
Many years ago, I read The Idea of the Holy by the Lutheran phenomenologist Rudolph Otto. This book profoundly influenced C. S. Lewis, who writes about it in Surprised by Joy, and I have to say that it also influenced me. Touchstone Magazine has published a fascinating article entitled Surprised by Awe: C. S. Lewis & [...]
Supremes give police access to your DNA
It takes a warrant for the police to search your house or tap your phone. But not to record and keep track of your DNA. So ruled the Supreme Court yesterday. The Constitution’s protections against “unreasonable search and seizure” do not apply to your genetic code. From the Associated Press: A sharply divided Supreme Court [...]
Archbishop of Canterbury on Gay Marriage
In the United Kingdom, gay marriage has passed the House of Commons and is now being considered by the House of Lords. The Church of England, despite its reputation for theological liberalism, is opposing the measure. I was struck by what the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said about gay marriage in a speech [...]
June 3, 2013
Can there be “Lutheran Baptists” or other non-Lutheran Lutherans?
Southern Baptists are currently embroiled in a controversy over “Calvinist Baptists.” David Koyzis and Collin Garbarino over at the First Things blog are asking if there can be Calvinist Baptists, why can’t there be “Lutheran Baptists”? After all, Lutherans were flexible about allowing different kinds of church polities. Calvin is associated with Presbyterianism. One might [...]
ELCA elects a gay bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (not to be confused with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, or other more conservative Lutheran bodies) has elected its first openly gay bishop, the Rev. R. Guy Erwin, who will lead ELCA congregations in [...]
Dodging tornadoes
Oklahoma City and surrounding communities were struck by multiple tornadoes Friday night, killing nine people. This was only 11 days after an EF-5 tornado hit Moore (a southern suburb of OKC). We were in northeast Oklahoma, a long way from the tornadoes that made the news, for my father’s funeral. But our county too had [...]
May 31, 2013
The Visitation
How I dreaded the “visitation.” Having to see my father’s dead body. Having to meet and greet well-wishers while being in a highly emotional state. What a horrible ordeal this is going to be, I thought. And yet, the visitation on Thursday night was strangely healing. I’m not sure why, but it was. I do [...]
What is a dog worth?
If a dog is killed through someone’s negligence, is the owner entitled to compensation for just the monetary value of the animal (usually not much) or also for the “sentimental value” that come from the owner’s emotional attachment to the pet? After all, family heirlooms–such as your grandfather’s watch or a piece of jewelry that [...]
Stephen King on Intelligent Design and God
Stephen King is the living master of horror fiction and a pretty darned good writer by any standard. NPR has an interesting interview with him on the occasion of his new novel, Joyland (which sounds like a good one), in which he affirms his belief in Intelligent Design. From Stephen King, Author Of ‘Joyland’: On [...]
