Safe Haven

I had lunch with a good friend. Of course it was Red Robin. Why are you even asking me that? [Because you could always haul off and get a steak. We don't know.--ed.] It was a great conversation, hard to even sum up. But we ate and then talked for a couple hours. We ran into DJ The Youth Minister, a classmate from the "Old School" (let the reader understand) and we chatted for a bit. My friend didn't know him. But we lamented that certain "Comrades" of ours are harder to connect with than the president. [You wouldn't eat lunch with the President; stop lying to us.--ed.] Yes, I would. It would be an honor. I can't guarantee that I wouldn't ask a squirm-inducing question or five, but I am a patriotic, civic-minded American. There is a dignity to the office that none of us may disregard or disrespect, if we call ourselves Americans. I digress. So my friend and I went to Mass a little out of the way. It was in a hospital. Even though I feel a little...

[Sensitivity Warning: If sexual sin is a serious problem for you, or could be, don't read this post or do any related thing.] Yeah, you read that right. And I guess I should say that some of you are too young to even know who George Michael is. When I was a kid, he was a massive star. In some ways, when cultural critics complained about the degradation of our culture, they were blaming this guy. Fair enough; he deserves some of that. Sex was/is a big part of what he sang about. And it could be blunt ("I Want Your Sex") and disturbing in many ways (" Father Figure ") but even here, it is not without insight. When you listen to this, listen to how he describes what he wants, especially in the first verse. Friends, we shouldn't be afraid to say that total openness and intimacy is what we should experience in the marital act. Vulnerability, even. The culture's problem isn't that it doesn't see the power of eros; we definitely do, at least at first...

If I read another pointless article about evangelicals and feminism, I am going to freak out, myself. Look, evangelicals: You know what your problem is? You don't have the tools within your theology to articulate a healthy anthropology, so your borrow it hodge-podge from politics. This is what happens when you don't have the Church and its Tradition. This is why every evangelical sounds like he or she is trying to split the middle on everything. Secular politics drives the discussion, and not the other way around. I'm not a feminist, but you'd think I would have to be, to read crap like this. Me just telling you that forces me to say that no, I do not favor/apologize for rape or any other thing. I don't have any idea how much money a woman working outside the home should make in comparison to a man. I may have political commitments which define what I will not do in terms of means in addressing inequities real or perceived, but the truth is, it's the wrong d...

What that guy said. I can't wait to hear how this isn't "real" Catholicism, or the "real" Vatican II, from someone who is not Catholic. Ahem. Lest you think I am some kind of traditionalist, the truth is, I've only been to one Mass in the Extraordinary Form in my whole (brief) Catholic life. "Novus Ordo" is not a swear-word. I believe every pope so far reigned/reigns as the legitimate successor of Peter, and I love Vatican II. So, my guess is, the people who say this don't have the stomach for US political debate, and they may barely have the stomach to say, "I disagree." They may fear anyone who doesn't get called "reasonable" on the opinion pages of major newspapers, and, having noticed that whack-jobs they dislike often have religious motivations, they may think they do a service by attempting to ostracize groups of Catholics in like manner. But if you don't actually know where the religious center is, (and...

I should say that commenters should feel more than free to outline/articulate their own positions on a thing in the comments on any issue of interest, if something linked is judged to be unrepresentative. Let's do define terms, however. Mathison, Redux: The only thing I could reasonably articulate when I read The Shape Of Sola Scriptura was: 1. Oberman's taxonomy would be damning if it were true; 2. I doubt Catholics conceive of the relation between Scripture and Tradition this way; 3. Even if I accepted it as true--which (2) would render uncharitable anyway, I have not learned anything Catholic that moves beyond the scope of Oberman's "Tradition-1." In fact, I related this all to Dr. Cross at the time. N.B. I was not Catholic at the time, nor had I even read Mathison's Chapter 8 (if memory serves) where he expertly took down the "Solo Scriptura" position, and attempted to distinguish his position (Sola Scriptura) from that one. All that is...

Dude, are you gonna do it? [No.--ed.] So, you're Reformed? [No. I'm gonna stay in RCIA. I'll go through it again.--ed.] Take all the time you need. What are you stuck on? [I don't know.--ed.] I thought we didn't need 100% certainty to go forward in faith? [Let me paraphrase you slightly: You don't throw the inerrant character of revelation under the bus for the sake of hermeneutical humility.--ed.] I couldn't have said it better myself. Eat that, Newbigin! It was pride, anyway. This provokes all sorts of irritated reactions in me. It seems all you have to do is know the right people, throw in a few stock phrases about 'loving people,' 'this world is not our home,' etc. while insisting you're an evangelical who's 'just asking questions,' and you can believe whatever you want. You'll probably get a book deal. Or maybe...The Bible was never meant to be used this way. I know, crazy. Sooner or later, someone will have to f...

5 Opening Day Thoughts 5. We get to find out just how good Adam Wainwright is. It's his team, now. 4. Starting at 9 PM CDT, I am not available. 3. Time to make the leap, Mr. Garcia. 2. What's wrong with Freese now? 1. I miss Chris Carpenter.

5 Easter Sunday Thoughts 5. The truth is, I applied the Resurrection of Our Lord by sleeping in. 4. You can't always get what you want. 3. I am a sissy. 2. "So now I'm back to what I knew before you/Somehow, the city doesn't look the same." 1. He is risen!