Lord of the Flies

LORD OF THE FLIES

One of my favorite books growing up was William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Possibly, some of you are not familiar with this work. Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel, and he would go on to eventually win a Nobel Prize for literature (in 1983.) I’d like to use Golding’s work and this post to illustrate how post-modern societies devolve into tribalism when sufficiently stressed, using the U.S. as a case study. In the instance of the U.S.,...

The MAGA evangelican and the dog-eating Haitian

THE MAGA EVANGELICAL AND THE DOG-EATING HAITIAN

Those of you who have read the New Testament even casually have likely heard the parable Jesus mentioned between the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisees (and the Sadducees) were the two main religious groups in Judea back then. Of the two, the Pharisees were the more conservative, taking the Law of Moses literally and representing the more rural parts of Israel. These are the ones who gave Jesus grief. The Sadducees were more liberal, because they tended to...

ON THE TRAIL OF CANCER ONE YEAR LATER

The very beginning of my cancer blog can be found here OCTOBER 9, 2024 (W) Scheduled for a quarterly cystoscopy this afternoon. Hopefully there will be a good report. Back in a bit . . . Stay tuned. My urologist-oncologist is very happy after the procedure. Bladder looks the best it has all year. God be praised! “FINDINGS: ASSESSMENT: September 25, 2024 (W) So, I had chemotherapy today and it went well. I learned that I will receive chemotherapy monthly...

The Persecuted Church in China

THE PERSECUTED CHURCH IN CHINA

I have deliberately blurred the featured image to preserve the anonymity of the people in this photo. Worshippers may be arrested without warning in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the persecution they are experiencing is getting worse than it has been in the past. For this reason, it is difficult to know with any degree of certainty how many Christians there are in China, today. CHRISTIANITY COMES TO CHINA As far as we can tell, Christianity first arrived...

If

IF

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswomen Nancy Mace and Anna Luna are reported to have announced recently that committees in both house of Congress will again take up the topic of unidentified aerial phenomena (particularly reported in the vicinity of Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.) House hearings are tentatively scheduled for November 13th. Barring unforeseen developments, the Senate committee will meet before the Holiday recess as well. The topic of unidentified flying objects (aka unidentified anomalous phenomena) is getting more attention...

Dust in the Wind

DUST IN THE WIND

We all reach a point where we wonder “What is this all for?”  The word “this” can mean any one of a number of things.  “This” can mean trying to buy your first home and being priced out of the market. “This” can mean trying to keep your kids off the street with mixed success.  It can mean finishing your college degree and not finding a job.  Or, “this” can mean trying to save your marriage, or staying sober, or working your entire life just to...

"This is the end of the third temple."

“THIS IS THE END OF THE THIRD TEMPLE.”

A lone Israeli Lockheed Martin F-35A Adir fighter darts briefly to the south as it speeds eastward though the early morning chill across the Jordan Valley towards Iran. This particular plane is one of the same fighters that attacked a Houthi fuel depot in Yemen on September 29, 2024. The Adir, which means “Strong One” in Hebrew and is one of the sobriquets of Yahweh, is headed 2,020 km towards Natanz, Iran where there is a Iranian nuclear facility. Today,...

Diamonds

DIAMONDS

There have been several important men as far as my faith is concerned.  One was Chaplain Carl T. Hawkins who mentored me when the “scales dropped from my eyes” as St. Luke describes the conversion of St. Paul. Another was also a Baptist minister, Arthur Blessitt, best known for dragging a twelve-foot cross around the planet.  That sounds extreme, especially to my liturgical friends, yet alone people who have not yet come to faith.  It is sort of like the seemingly odd prophets of...

Have faith in our institutions

HAVE FAITH IN OUR INSTITUTIONS

Only two countries in the modern world have a founding document older than the U.S. Constitution. The oldest is England, if you count the Magna Carta of 1215, and secondly the tiny republic of San Marino (1600), nestled snugly within the Italian peninsula.  Other countries such as the Dominican Republic have had 32 constitutions altogether, and a number of other countries from Ecuador to Thailand have had 20 or more constitutions.  Israel, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia are several of the few...

The SARS-CoV-2 virus

INFLUENZA AND COVID UPDATE

This is a good time to mention the flu and COVID, both of which are filling up emergency rooms across the country.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anticipates that the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, or “H5N1 bird flu,” in dairy cows, poultry and other animals will be the chief flu strain in the U.S. this coming winter. September is approximately the month that seasonal vaccines come out, and I encourage everyone who reads my blog who can be...

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