Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 79

How Trump is reshaping the federal courts

Conservatives are happy about Neil Gorsuch’s appointment to the Supreme Court.  But President Trump also has an unusually high number of vacancies throughout the federal court system.  And he is nominating conservative judges to fill them. Reader DonS, who, I believe, is an attorney, drew our attention to this fact in his comment on a recent [Read More...]

Nullification by campaign statement

President Trump’s revised travel ban is before the courts again. Once more, the main argument against it seems to be that Trump showed an opposition to Muslim immigrants and visitors during the campaign.  Therefore, although president usually have authority in such matters, because of his campaign statements his executive order is invalid. This makes no sense [Read More...]

Challenges for conservative churches in Scandinavia

In Finland, I taped three programs for the Christian television network.  The host, Leif Nummela, is a well-known figure in confessional Lutheran circles and in Scandinavian Christian circles in general.  On his program, Bible Café, we had wonderful discussions of the Bible, Grace, and Vocation (Luther’s three major contributions to Christendom as a whole).  The network [Read More...]

The Republican defeat on the spending bill they passed

Republicans control the presidency, the House of Representatives, and the Senate.  And yet, in passing the spending bill to keep the government funded through September, Republicans gave away just about everything they stood for in order to get Democratic votes. President Trump had proposed major cuts to make up for increased spending in defense and [Read More...]

The French set-back for global Trumpism

Many observers thought that the ascendancy of Donald Trump and Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union heralded a new movement in global politics, with nationalism and anti-immigration sentiment casting out establishment governments. But in the French presidential election on Sunday, the anti-immigrant, pro-nationalistic Marine LePen was defeated in a landslide by centrist Emmanuel Macron, [Read More...]

Open communion that includes Muslims

In Atlanta during Holy Week, the entire diocese of the Episcopal Church held a Mass in which the clergy renewed their ordination vows.  This was also an interfaith service. The Scripture readings included a text from the Quran.  A Muslim woman gave the sermon.  Then, during the Eucharist, the Bishop communed her. He later explained that [Read More...]

Trump signs religious liberty order

President Trump issued an executive order on religious liberty.  It allows churches and other religious and charitable organizations to carry out political action without worrying about losing their tax-exempt status.  It also exempts religious groups from having to fund contraceptives under Obamacare. But it does not provide what many religious groups were hoping for and what [Read More...]

House votes to repeal & replace Obamacare

The House of Representatives voted to repeal and replace Obamacare, a long-time Republican commitment that they could not pull off in March. Now the measure must be passed by the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain and where further changes are likely. The “American Health Care Act” still leaves us with a national health care program [Read More...]

Does mainline liberal Protestantism have just 23 years left?

More on the plight of mainline liberal Protestantism. . . . Evangelical scholar Ed Stetzer calculates that at the current rate of decline, mainline liberal Protestant churches will cease to exist in 23 years. He crunches the numbers and suggests the reasons.  For example, “Over the past few decades, some mainline Protestants have abandoned central doctrines [Read More...]

The 10 characteristics of Germans

The United States, as is often said, is a nation that rests of ideas rather than ethnic identity.  Immigrants wanting to become citizens must pass a test on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and civic participation. But other countries are based on ethnic and cultural identity.  How can they integrate immigrants from other societies?  What, [Read More...]