Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 67
July 4, 2017
Patriotic Church Services?
I think the main problem with this sort of thing is the same problem with other kinds of "contemporary worship" that says little about Christ or the reception of His gifts.
July 3, 2017
How to criminalize Christianity
The United States has freedom of religion, and to say Christians are “persecuted” here is surely overblown, compared to how Christians are treated in other parts of the world. And yet, overt persecution could conceivably break out even in this land of the free. But how, given this country’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and [Read More...]
Euthanasia for “a completed life”
First euthanasia was supposed to be for people who were terminally ill. Then for those who were suffering. First physically, but then mentally. But euthanasia would only be for people who requested it. Then for those unable to request it. Including for children. A new proposal in the Netherlands, the mecca of physician homicide, would allow euthanasia [Read More...]
Towards an OKC Thunder superteam
Here in the Sooner State, Oklahomans have been feeling good about Russell Westbrook winning the MVP, while facing up to the fact that the Thunder is never going to be competitive against the Golden State Warriors, thanks to our previous hero, Kevin Durant, bolting for the big lights and championship rings of a superteam. Then [Read More...]
June 30, 2017
Lutheran Sociologist Peter Berger Dies
One of the most prominent figures in the field of sociology, Berger was a pioneer in the sociology of religion.
The Muslim civil war
Syria is the focal point of a global war between Shi’ite Muslims (led by Iran, with the support of Russia) and Sunni Muslims (led by Saudi Arabia, with support from the United States). Charles Krauthammer describes the situation and explains the overall strategy, which I excerpt after the jump. Can someone explain why the United [Read More...]
A fun summertime book
Dragon’s Teeth is based on the real life adventures and misadventures of two rival paleontologists, Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope, as they scoured the wild west collecting fossils and making some of the earliest discoveries about dinosaurs. But that’s about all the science you get in this novel, unlike most of Crichton’s science-based stories. This novel is [Read More...]
June 29, 2017
The history of Vacation Bible School
This week is Vacation Bible School at our church, as well as at others I’m aware of. Church historian Chris Gehrz at the Patheos blog The Anxious Bench (a blog about church history) gives us the history of this institution, which, like Sunday School, had its origin in ministry to poor children in the big [Read More...]
Leftist fundamentalism
David Gushee is a religion journalist, on the liberal side of things, who has long criticized “fundamentalists.” That’s mainly a derogatory term for religious conservatives, with additional connotations of legalism, narrow-mindedness, and extremism. It’s usually not a fair term to use, though it originally simply meant adherence to certain “fundamental” Christian doctrines and is a [Read More...]
Thunder’s Russell Westbrook wins MVP
Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder won this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player award. The vote wasn’t even close. He received 69 of 101 votes, with James Harden coming in second with 22. My logic prevailed. Now if Oklahoma City can just keep him. Lots of other teams are trying to put together a superteam, [Read More...]
