Bill O’Reilly’s claim that media outlets describing Anders Breivik as a “Christian extremist” are attempting to discredit Christianity has been widely dissected. But a semi-unrelated remark of his in the same segment also caught my attention, and I thought it was worth noting. O’Reilly says: … The second reason the liberal media is pushing the Christian… Continue reading What’s a “secular-left” cause?
Another week, another attempt by presidential candidate Herman Cain to assure Republican primary voters that he is serious about addressing the specter of an Islamic revolution in America — a threat apparently germinating right under our noses. His comments are absurd, repulsive, and clearly intended to stoke irrational animus. They are therefore harmful in and of themselves.… Continue reading Herman Cain is Screwing Up Secularists
Kiera Feldman told me the idea for her excellent journalistic foray into Birthright was conceived in January 2009, which, oddly, is also the month when I recall first being troubled by the social implications of a program that grants thousands of American Jews free trips to Israel on the basis of their ethnicity. I was staying… Continue reading On Birthright
As negotiations heat up in New York over legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage, a closer look at one of the major players in Albany… Rev. Jason McGuire’s commitment, he told me, is simple: whenever there are legislators present in the State House, so too will be his witness. As it happens, this requires quite… Continue reading Rev. McGuire’s Calling
Of course, it’s true: Ron Paul is very unlikely to win the Republican presidential nomination. With that obvious admission out of the way, here’s why it’s plausible that he could at least over-perform this time around, relative both to the 2008 race (in which he placed fourth) and to some of the other candidates who’re receiving… Continue reading Ron Paul and the New Non-Interventionism
There is a Family Radio affiliate located in West Orange, New Jersey, wherein prophesies of Saturday’s impending rapture are transmitted to portions of the New York metropolitan area. Comcast customers can view Harold Camping’s daily Open Forum program on Channel 66. In the world of atomically-precise eschatological predictions, one must admit, the Family Radio people… Continue reading A Visit to Family Radio
Maybe I’m not one to speak; for me, the September 11th attacks occupy little more than a glint of memory-space. Like everyone else, I can recite the obligatory account of my whereabouts that morning. I can describe the staff-wide memo that was read aloud in Spanish class, instructing kids whose parents worked in Lower Manhattan… Continue reading Unseemly Celebrants
At a thoroughly typical suburban congregation yesterday, the Easter homily was notable only for its truncated length. The priest’s decision to limit his commentary to under five minutes, I deduced, was occasioned purely by logistical concerns: with the number of parishioners in attendance at approximately double the weekly average, twice as many people would be… Continue reading Redemption in Five Minutes
Southern Massachusetts is still reeling from news that area teenagers attended a party last Friday night. “And this wasn’t a typical underage drinking party,” reported Tom Langford, on the scene in Plainville for NECN-TV. The theme was “Business Hoes and CEOs,” according to police, and “several of the youths were dressed up in suits, ties,… Continue reading Teens Gone Wild
I haven’t seen anyone write about this yet. Michele Bachmann was asked about Libya during an interview with the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer last week. Fischer: …I have a more fundamental problem, that he took this action without getting authorization from Congress as the Constitution specifies. Your reaction? Bachmann: Well that’s right, and it’s… Continue reading A Post on Michele Bachmann, Unfortunately