Grand Torino

I saw Grand Torino last night, and I really don’t know what Chris Hewitt is talking about. Eastwood’s performance was well-played, topping off a career defined by portraying outlaw anti-heroes. Instead of a young six-shooting gun slinger, he is an old Korean War vet in a troubled urban neighborhood. True, the [...]

What is Pelosi Talking About?

I don’t understand Nancy Pelosi. How does reducing childbirth help reduce “costs” and stimulate our economy? If we are at a moment in history where baby boomers are on the cusp of retirment and there are fewer people being born, who will take care of the elderly? Who will the government [...]

Weeping in the Playtime of Others

Working in a drug treatment center has had a lot of ups and downs. One of the downs is that you become desensitized to other people’s pain and become more concerned about your ability to exercise authority than showing proper compassion. The indifference often leads to cruelty when you feel challenged even by the most [...]

Barack Obama Day

As one who did not vote for Obama and is skeptical of just about every one of his promises I am quite intrigued with how excited people are for his presidency. I even feel some anticipation myself as I watch throngs of people gather the grounds of beautiful Washington, DC.
While it is easy for [...]

How Does Art Serve Religion In Our Own Time?

My current class is an art appreciation class and I was given the title question as an essay assignment. Let me start out by saying I don’t really know anything about art, except that I think a lot of it is garbage. I used to have some readers that were great art-minds, so if anyone [...]

1939 Wife-Quality Test

You can see the whole thing in an image here. Below is what it says.

Demerits
Merits

1. Slow to coming to bed–delays until husband is almost asleep
1. A good hostess–even to unexpected guests.

2. Doesn’t like children.
2. Has meals on time.

3. Fails to sew on buttons or darn socks regularly.
3. Can carry on interesting conversation.

4. Wears [...]

Lord Save Us From Your Followers

When I see things like this I am reminded of the fantastically sanctimonious (and sub par) movie Saved! The film industry has way too easy of a time caricaturing Christians into representations of people I have never known. The old adage “It takes one to know one” doesn’t apply if it really is the case [...]

Response to Millers Abroad

My friend Sharon and I go way back. There are pictures to prove it, somewhere. But without going into too much detail, she and I have sparred not just once over what temperature was comfortable. Her being from Texas and my being from Minnesota has helped to produce a long-standing debate over wide-ranging ideas of [...]

Richard John Neuhaus, RIP

These are words from one of my favorite thinkers that give me confidence I can fellowship with Catholics:
“When I come before the judgment throne, I will plead the promise of God in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I will not plead any work I have done, although I will thank God that he [...]

NYT on Driscoll

“Driscoll’s New Calvinism underscores a curious fact: the doctrine of total human depravity has always had a funny way of emboldening, rather than humbling, its adherents.”