As we have seen in other posts, the city of Philippi in northern Greece was significant in the growth of the so-called “Christ cult” in the first century. St. Paul wrote a letter to the Jesus followers at Philippi, which has come down to us in the New (Christian) Testament and is a major reason […]
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The House Financial Services Committee: A Report Card for 2019
After Democrats won the House of Representatives in decisive fashion in the 2018 election, committee chairs shifted radically. Rep. Maxine Waters of California became the first woman and first black lawmaker to serve as chair of the important House Financial Services Committee. Waters, at 81 years young, took a strong hold of the Committee in […]
Questioning Christian Orthodoxy in the Christmas Season
It will strike some readers as “heresy” for members of one of the mainstream Christian denominations (in this case, the Episcopal Church) to question several tenets of a major document of the church – especially when the questioning comes during the major season of Christmas. For other readers, though – perhaps those searching in a […]
Giving Thanks for Our Native American Neighbors
In this season of Thanksgiving, and as we head into the holiday season, two recent developments from the little state of Vermont are noteworthy. Earlier this year, the Vermont Legislature passed a law designating the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, replacing the traditional designation of Columbus Day. Republican Governor Phil Scott signed […]
Religious Literacy Guidelines for College Students – and the Rest of Us
Religion is frequently in the news, whether we are hearing about shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, SC, or Sutherland Springs, Texas; differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East; objections to abortion by leaders in the Roman Catholic Church and conservative politicians, including Vice […]
Index to the Fourth Year
Thank you as always for checking in with WisdomWordsPPF! Below is a guide to the past year of blog posts. Here are the other indices: First year (October 2015-October 2016); Second year (October 2016-October 2017); Third year (October 2017-October 2018). US Politics, Trump Administration, 2018 and 2020 Elections Buyer’s Remorse and Self-Forgiveness: Humble Suggestions for […]
A Virtual Pilgrimage to Civil Rights Sites in Alabama II: Montgomery and Concluding Thoughts
In Part I, we laid out the basics of a “virtual pilgrimage” to civil rights sites in Birmingham and Selma, Alabama. Here we will visit sites in Montgomery. One in particular was rather disturbing for its pro-Confederacy perspective; all provide food for thought. Notes from Montgomery Equal Justice Initiative, including the National Memorial for Peace […]
A Virtual Pilgrimage to Civil Rights Sites in Alabama I: Preparation, Birmingham and Selma
Making a pilgrimage to a sacred or special location is an age-old practice; practitioners of most religious traditions and many others have undertaken spiritual journeys to seek meaning, look “for their heart’s desire,” to heal, and to “find a more authentic home” (Kujawa-Holbrook 8). How, though, can someone with limited funds, mobility issues or other […]
Buyer’s Remorse and Self-Forgiveness: Humble Suggestions for Trump Voters Reconsidering
The majority of the blog posts on this website are addressed to progressives and those on the political left. This is a departure. Here we will offer some thoughts to citizens who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, who may be reconsidering, and who may be reluctant to admit – to themselves and/or […]
When the “Bad Guys” Commit Suicide: Insights from Paranormal Research
The death by apparent suicide on August 10, 2019, of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has again raised the issue about how victims achieve justice when the accused perpetrator kills him- or herself while in prison. Epstein may potentially have more victims than most serial killers: dozens (?) of women whom he trafficked for sex, assaulted […]