It’s once again graduation season. And what does graduation season mean? No more school! No more books! No more teachers’ dirty looks … well, scratch that last part. As Alice Cooper sang in his 1972 single, “School’s out for the…
How do we get along when there’s no middle ground? Part 2
In part one I told you the story of a couple of gay New York hoteliers who met with Ted Cruz and were treated as a result to calls for a boycott and other harassments. This situation prompted me to…
How do we get along when there’s no middle ground? Part 1
The other day, as I was reading one of the daily news emails that arrive in my inbox, I came across a story that I thought surely must have been ripped from the pages of The Onion. Two New York…
Who’s really discriminating here?
Discrimination is a funny word. We hear it thrown around a lot today so it’s worth taking a minute and reflecting on what exactly it means. At the most basic level, discrimination is simply the process of choosing one thing…
Surprise!
In the 1970s the British comedy troupe Monty Python performed a sketch which turned a common expression of exasperation at an unwanted series of questions into a comic refrain. In the sketch a man and woman are having a conversation….
Scouting for tolerance
In June of 2013 the Boy Scouts of America announced a policy change. The organization would reverse a longstanding policy and allow openly gay scouts to participate in the organization. I wrote then that the BSA’s attempt to please everybody…
Getting the enemy all wrong
Last week the White House took action against the various violent attacks happening all over the world in recent months by hosting a Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. While it is perhaps laudable that this White House stands opposed to…
Labeling moderates
A few days ago there was a news piece posted here reporting on an interview with Dr. Roger Olson in which he argued that what he sees as the leftward theological drift of some in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (no…
When character fails
I recently read an article by Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal. He offered some reflections on the national economic disaster faced by the nation of Greece. He makes the point that Greece’s problems are only partially economic. The…
You can’t beat an enemy you don’t understand
The recent massacre by Islamic extremists at the Charlie Hebdo office in France has shocked the world. I have my own theories why this particular act of terrorism brought such a show of anti-Islamic extremism solidarity whereas other, much more…
New year, same lessons
The news broke recently that the fire chief for the city of Atlanta has been fired. Surely someone in such a position would only stand to be fired for a few reasons — gross incompetence, legal troubles, getting on the wrong…
The greatest gift (Part 5 in the series, God moved into the neighborhood)
Think for a minute with me about the greatest gift you’ve ever received. What was it? When I was a freshman in high school I received a ball signed by the 1996-97 Jayhawks. As a huge Kansas Basketball fan, that…