Faded American Flag Liz Cheney Ouster

EDITORIAL: FADED GLORY

Our political system lost a bit more luster today. Minutes ago, the Republican conference in the U.S. House of Representatives ousted their Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her position of leadership. Preferring to continue their fealty to a twice-impeached President instead of returning to their historical convictions that helped make America great for the better part of two centuries, they attempted to silence the daughter of a former Vice-President of the U.S. for speaking her mind. This came only...

Tulips on display in Albany, NY

TULIPS PUT ALBANY, NY IN FESTIVE MOOD

For the second year in a row, the city of Albany, NY is holding their annual Tulip Festival virtually. Customary activities such as luncheons, Dutch street scrubbing, the coronation of a Tulip Queen and the Royal Tulip Ball will be replaced with virtual programming, though music throughout the month will be live at different venues. Festival goers are free to wander among the tulip displays in Washington Park, and small, guided tours will be held on an appointment basis.  The remaining  activities...

George Orwell 1984

WHO CONTROLS THE PAST CONTROLS THE FUTURE

Today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sent a letter representing the demands of 37 Senate Republicans that the administration pull their support from the 1619 Project, a controversial program promoted in 2019 that, in the words of the Daily Mail “takes slavery and puts it in the center of the American narrative” four centuries later. This is an example of what is sometimes termed a paradigm shift, or a change in fundamental assumptions.  Such as from the Genesis account of our beginnings to evolution....

Family emerges from a darkened room as pandemic ends

AFTER THE PANDEMIC ENDS (PART II)

For the past month or so, we’ve finally been able to see light at the end of the tunnel as far as the pandemic goes, thanks to the vaccines and the end of winter with more and more people spending time outdoors. India and Brazil are having difficult times at the moment and so we’re not out of the woods yet.  The SARS-CoV-2 virus may continue to be endemic to certain areas after the pandemic ends, but hopefully it will be...

Pentecost Sunday title

TONGUES OF FIRE

“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of...

Dog with guilty conscience

JAMES MADISON ON CONSCIENCE

“The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext, infringed.” – James Madison Introduction Our democracy and our republican form of government is based on the U.S. Constitution.  But there are differences of opinion today in how the Constitution should be interpreted and applied in our society, and what the proper...

The SARS-CoV-2 virus

WHY IS SARS-COV-2 SO RESILIENT?

Origins (as described on NPR One) Originally, the so-called wet markets found in Huanan and many other cities not only in China but in Laos, Thailand, SIngapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia were blamed for the begining of the SARS-CoV-2 in humans. At the markets, many common foods such fish, chicken and pork are displayed in close proximity to more exotic animals, which are often stacked in cages that create incredible stress on the animals, making them vulnerable to disease....

Red rose symbolizing martyrdom

IN MEMORY OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER (1906-1945)

The red rose is the symbol for Christians who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their Lord.  This month is the seventy-sixth anniversary of the murder of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, on April 9th, 1945, presumably on the personal order of Adolph Hitler. Few contemporary ministers of the Gospel have had to labor under such difficult circumstances as this man, and who lost his life before his fortieth birthday. The eulogy is in memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945.) Early life Dietrich Bonhoeffer...

Has your faith become a spectator sport? Watching from afar

HAS YOUR FAITH BECOME A SPECTATOR SPORT?

There are a lot of things that most—though not all–Christians in America are vocal about. Many of us have no trouble telling people what our favorite football team is.  Very few of us would hide the news that our son was accepted into Harvard, our daughter had married into a wealthy family, or that we had received a prestigious promotion at work.  If you meet a famous athlete, television star or singer, you tend to drop their name to your friends repeatedly,...

Office dude with briefcase chasing cars

CHASING CARS

People dream. Some people dream of fame. Take the Beatles. Just as the face of Helen of Troy is said to have launched a thousand ships, the Beatles launched as many bands, especially their premier on the Ed Sullivan Show. Some of these bands and artists are household names: The Mamas and Papas, Kiss, the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Heart, the Pixies, Bruce Springsteen and many, many more. But fame ultimately does not satisfy and it comes at the cost of...

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