Safe Haven

I have no idea if Glenn Beck advances the national conversation in a meaningful way. I only saw one show on TV, his very first. So honest, I really don't know. And frankly, I liked it. There was a guy who had written a book about the European fascist roots of contemporary progressivism. It was one of those "I need to read that" moments, but never wrote down the title. Anyway, I'm at least aware enough to notice that progressives dislike most, if not all, conservative radio hosts. But frankly, that doesn't tell us much, given the fact that most progressives defend the constitutionally, morally, and logically indefensible in deeply personal, hostile ways. I can say with a clear conscience that I have never been personally angry at an opposing politician like they have. Mitt Romney is one of the kindest, most personally generous, and intelligent men to ever run for president. Ever. And I don't even like his policies, generally. But you saw what they did to him....

5 Thoughts For Today 5. Dude, this Tradition stuff is deep. Yours truly is routinely reduced to a quivering pile of, "What does that mean?" I'm told this is perfectly normal. 4. Catholic apologist: A unique evangelist whose principal task is exhorting sinners, non-Christians, non-Catholics, and whoever else to join the supernatural society of the Catholic Church, despite the fact that her principal mysteries reduce the most brilliant men to stammering fools. This is good, they tell us. 3. Catholic Church: The only place where the French lead the battle, and no one laughs. 2. Catholic Church: We worship our food. No, really. 1. Catholic Church: Where "It's a mystery!" means, "I don't know" and "I do know" at the same time.

The light is low As it was that sleepless morning But this light is not the Sun It is my soul. That gray was the gray of hope A train rushing toward the station Toward family, joy, and laughter This is a fog. I do not want to hear it What was once a song to me Fills me with bitterness And stilted prayers. Keep your blessing Keep your comfort Do not answer When you are not asked. I shed tears for death For friends departed And hopes dashed But not for the truth. I will do no penance now Not to please you To bring myself low To make you happy. I am who I was then Exactly the same I hope one day your happy lies Will be lost in the mists.

Honestly, I don't have anything to say. My prayers are with the dead and injured, as well as their families. Various whispers of reports seem to indicate that it was a terror attack, but precisely by whom is unclear. I had seen somewhere that a 20-year-old Saudi had been apprehended, but I never saw that anywhere else. I hope you are safe if you live nearby. Cherish the small moments, and seek the good, because we cannot take moments for granted. Certainly not when evil people take already fragile life by force. Lord, have mercy!

We live on a knife's edge oftentimes. The secret of the Christian life is that I'm not at all strong, and neither are you. We could smack around the Reformed all day long for their contention that the absolute necessity of grace implies soteriological monergism, (one of the biggest, unnecessary jumps in theology) but let's definitely recall that Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." Prayer is the means of co-operation with God. We will NOT be holy if we do not pray. It is also the means of communion with God, which is synonymous with holiness. God is holiness. It is that quality of otherness in which all other things find their intended ends. Say what you will about the Protestant theologian Karl Barth; he was (unless he was the greatest liar I have ever seen) a man of prayer. That's why God is merciful: He's not into knee-capping those who seek Him with everything they have. Prayer is a communion of Love. Therefore, I was more right than I ...

Derek wrote a post about a question he asked Tim Keller, and it led to this from Rachel Held Evans. You all probably know that RHE riles me up. You end up some kind of "liberal" if you listen to her. But on the good side, she does help us find the limits of hermeneutics under the oppressive regime of Sola Scriptura. See, I believe RHE doesn't identify as a theological progressive. That's true. But for one, there is no way to know where you are in relation to some "center" if there isn't one. I digress. But I read Derek's post and Keller's general comments in a different way: through the lens of virtue and vice. If you sin gravely (like say, sexual sin) and you repeat it, it gets harder and harder to think and act in the right way. You need a lot more grace to get back going straight. And that, I think, is the context which would lead Dr. Keller to ask a young person "Who are you sleeping with?" Augustine's a rather excellent e...