Your comments are a valuable part of this blog. An example is a recent comment made by Jennifer regarding the news story about the confrontation between the police officer and the college professor in Cambridge, MA. This confrontation made headlines worldwide and sparked charges of racism and profiling. Jennifer and her husband make a good point that is easy to miss among all the sound bites and sensational headlines. Here is her comment:
Current Events
156 posts
Anger has come to dominate the headlines. Members of Congress have ventured out from the safe haven of the Washington Beltway back to their home states. Their reception by the home folks has been less than peaceful. Many constituents have exchanged the traditional summer grilling of hot dogs and burgers for grilling their congressional leaders. One hallmark of town hall meetings has been anger. The proposed healthcare plans by the Senate, House, and White House all have provisions that have fed angry interchanges at meetings across the country. Since all of the plans for health care reform are still just plans, it is difficult to debate what might be. Nevertheless, as concerns are raised about such provisions as end of […]
Psalm 73 is the story of a troubled soul who wonders about the goodness of God in the face of the apparent prosperity of people who openly mock God and delight in wickedness. As we have seen, the psalmist needed to redefine his concept of good, and he needed to stop seeing the actions of the wicked in light of a momentary perspective. Among other reasons, this psalm is recorded by the Holy Spirit because faithful servants of God throughout history face similar situations. All of us can identify with the theme of this psalm. It is painful to see the wicked prosper. We sometimes question whether it is worth it to keep trying–is it in vain that we have […]
This post is a last minute addition to the series on Psalm 73. The absolute necessity of being able trust God to define what is good for you has been painfully illustrated by the sad announcement of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s infidelity. Sanford decided that his “good” was a relationship with a woman who was not his wife. In his news conference, the governor appeared to struggle with giving up the “goodness” of his extra-marital relationship. Even though this relationship brought nothing but pain to his wife and children and dishonor to God, his struggle seemed to focus on how hard it was to end his adultery. Mark Sanford had defined good on his terms, not God’s. The nearness […]
Maine has become the 5th State to change the definition of marriage. On Wednesday, May 5, 2009, Fox News reported the event on its website: The Maine Senate voted 21-13, with one absent, for a bill that authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday. The reasoning behind this law is that any two people have the right to decide for themselves how marriage should be constituted. They believe it is unfair and arbitrary to restrict marriage to one man and one woman. The Fox News story also reports that Republican Sen. Debra Plowman of Hampden argued that the bill was being […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reversed a policy decision of the Bush Administration. Seventeen-year=olds will soon be able to buy a “morning after” pill to be used as an emergency contraceptive. Fox News reported the story this way on April 22: WASHINGTON — Seventeen-year-olds will soon be able to buy the “morning after” emergency contraceptive without a doctor’s prescription, after the Food and Drug Administration bowed to a federal judge’s order Wednesday. Reversing a contentious policy of the Bush administration, the FDA said in a brief statement it will not appeal a judge’s order that overturns restrictions limiting over-the-counter sales of “Plan B” to women 18 and older. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled last month in a […]
Tea parties and taxes have taken center stage this week across the American landscape. Paying taxes in general, and on April 15th in particular, has long been a source of concern for many Americans. In addition, this year we have bail outs, stimulus plans and tea parties. It is safe to say that many Americans are disturbed about the direction of current events. Then, this week the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about dangers from right wing extremists. Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this report is its definition of right extremism. Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, […]
This has been an unprecedented week in America. No matter what one’s political persuasion, few, if any would have predicted that the President of the United States would orchestrate firing the CEO of General Motors. This really is change. It may not be the change many were expecting, but it is change. Some are no doubt asking about how much power can one person have? Is this new connection between the private business sector and government a good thing? At the moment, there are more questions than answers. While political activity and government initiatives are important, Christians must not lose sight of the real center of power. It is vital to keep a sharp focus regarding this pivotal point. The […]
The news is filled with outrage about bonuses paid to employees of the government-bailed -out insurance giant AIG. Every day we hear cries of unfairness, greed and shock. Even the President has said that he is stunned by these bonuses. We seem to be caught in an unending series of outrageous events. Have you noticed the underlying conviction that is driving the outrage? This conviction has to do with fairness and what we deserve. We don’t deserve to have out of control spending and increased taxes. We don’t deserve to have business executives who are greedy. We don’t deserve to have government leaders who are incompetent. We don’t deserve to have a bad economy and its resulting complications. And the […]
This past Monday, March 9, 2009, President Obama reversed George W. Bush’s executive order regarding human embryonic stem cell research. In supporting his decision President Obama used extraordinary reasoning. He stated that scientific decisions should be based upon facts, not ideology. The President’s new executive order will have a major impact on your parenting. What does this have to do with parenting? That’s the critical question, but we need a little more information before giving the answer. First, here is the President’s quote in context: "Our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values," Obama declared, as he signed documents changing U.S. science policy and removing what some researchers have said were […]