Naming Names

"Hysteria, thy name is leftism."

Dennis Prager on the Left's dependency on crisis politics
The Dennis Prager Show 1/16/06

Talking 'Bout the Real Thing - Oh, oh

Tired of ending up in "Phone System Purgatory" when you call your favorite retailer, bank or credit card company? PaulEnglish.com Blog has a cheat sheet with tips on how to bypass the menus and get connected to a real person. I think I may print a copy to keep near the phone.

[HT: BTW]

What's the Difference?

Need help understanding the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism? Tulipedia has a side by side comparison using the TULIP acronym.

The Supremacy of God in Cancer

Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Read his announcement and see what "God glorified in all things" means.


"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" ~ Job 2:10

What Were They Burning Back Then?

Yet another Global Warming study is warning us of impending doom if we don't bow before the goddess, Kyoto. According to the AFP story, the study says (emphasis mine):

An extraordinary burst of global warming that occurred around 55 million years ago dramatically reversed Earth's pattern of ocean currents . . .

The article goes on to explain why they think this 55 million year old event is on the verge of recurring and why that's a bad thing. What they don't explain is what evidence they have that there is anything we can do to stop it. If a global warming event occured 55 million years ago - long before we were a twinkle in Piltdown man's forged eye - why should we believe that the current warming is anything other than a geological cycle over which we have little or no control? Does it make any sense to spend trillions of dollars, bankrupt nations and let the poor starve just to perform some leftist rite of absolution? Oh, yeah. I forgot. It doesn't matter as long as you are really, really sincere.

Take an Aspirin and Enjoy the Ride

"The thing about Israel is it may be a headache, but it's never a bore."

John Podhoretz
on the Hugh Hewitt Show 1/4/06

Calling a Heretic a Heretic

On December 29, 2005, NPR reported that the San Bernardino California Diocese has put Father Ned Reidy on trial on charges of heresy.

"Reidy left the Roman Catholic church in 1999 to join the Ecumenical Catholic Communion, a denomination that now boasts more than a dozen parishes nationwide. While Catholic in name, it splits with the Vatican over some fundamental church doctrines. Unlike heretics of old, Reidy does not openly rail against Roman Catholic teachings with which he disagrees. He says he just offers an alternative . . . Reidy is also charged with schism, which is defined as a failure to submit to the authority of the pope or of church leaders. Reidy doesn't deny the charges. But he says the diocese no longer has jurisdiction over him. If found guilty, Reidy would be formally defrocked and ex-communicated from the Roman Catholic Church."

In my opinion, one of the problems with the Christian church in America is that this doesn't happen often enough. This is especially true when it comes to Protestant churches. The result has been a blurring of the line between what is orthodox and what is not - a theological relativism. Relativism is as incompatible with theology as it is with itself.

Sometimes you just have to call a heretic a heretic.

You Get What You Pay For

Cap'n Ed reports on the consequences of paying off terrorist kidnappers. He discusses a recent kidnapping of five Italians in Yemen and summarizes:

Now both nations have to deal with the inevitable lesson that they taught the terrorists -- that when it comes to attacking German and Italian civilians abroad, crime pays, and so do they.

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation...So Far

My post on the Impudent Finger will explain where I've been for the last week.

Merry Belated Christmas
and Happy New Year!

Getting To Know Thou

Thinking Deeply is working on a 14 part series on the divine nature of God. It looks interesting. Go take your mind for a swim in the deep end of the philosophical pool.