Early in his presidency, Donald Trump influenced my reading habits. More recently, the religious people he hangs with have influenced and increased my Bible reading. In the past I let things roll off without much thought when listening to religious leaders. Now, when I hear scripture used to make a point, it's an automatic red... Continue Reading →
Religious Corn Flakes
Reading Paula White's words is like eating religious corn flakes. The fallacy of her prosperity gospel is the belief that we can generate faith that will influence spiritual forces in our favor. Just keep on declaring and claiming it yells the preacher! I guess it's easier than working toward justice and trying to do right.... Continue Reading →
Is prayer a numbers game?
“If so many believers spent just a portion of the time praying for him that they spend complaining about and criticizing the president, there would be a lot more prayers being lifted up and much more good would be accomplished.” -Joseph Parker radio host I'm trying to unpack Joseph Parker’s meaning here. He clearly says... Continue Reading →
In rare agreement with Franklin Graham
Evangelical leader Franklin Graham has asked us to pray for President Trump again. I think that's a good idea. Graham said, “Pray for President Trump today, for God to give him wisdom, protection, and guide each and every step he takes." He then posted a t-shirt you can purchase on his website ($15.99=$3 shipping), modeled here by... Continue Reading →
My name is still missing from his wall….
Email from Donald Trump, Jr. addressed to me. In this message, Donald Trump Jr. states that I'm one of the President's "best supporters and strongest defenders." Several months ago, I responded to a survey up to the point where a donation was required. Since the form wouldn't take negative numbers or zero, I left... Continue Reading →
Watching a slow death
Baldwin continues, "...people have deluded themselves for so long that they really don’t think I am human …. And this means that they have become … moral monsters.” I was eight when James Baldwin spoke these words. Now, in 2019, I feel as if I've spent my life watching a slow death. The pulse of... Continue Reading →
No nuanced views allowed.
Nice of First Baptist Church in Dallas to post this video on its YouTube channel so I could easily find it. https://youtu.be/EDBA-G675yo How easy might it be for this evangelical leader make comments supportive of the policies he agrees with while taking an occasional critical stance against actions inconsistent with his Christian beliefs or national... Continue Reading →
Thank you, Dr. Jeffress
How I appreciate this religious leader weighing in on a scientific issue! Looks like his "IMAGINARY climate crisis" is melting glaciers in Glacier National Park at profound and measurable rates. While there are examples of extreme reactions to climate change, there are things that just make sense to do in protecting our environment. Jeffress uses... Continue Reading →
The Petroleum President
Political leadership has demonstrated a strong reluctance to reduce our dependence on petroleum energy sources. I think the economic interests of the oil industry dictate our leaders' political priorities. How different might the world be if we'd aggressively pursued alternative forms of energy like sun and wind? We're now situated so that a single drone strike can... Continue Reading →
