In the New (Christian) Testament parable of the wheat and the weeds, which we explored a few years ago, we noted that the doctrine of reincarnation and its cognate, karma (the law of cause and effect), appear to have been perniciously eradicated from Christian belief and dogma, leaving Christianity and thus the West, from at […]
Present
Blog posts relating to the present such as social justice issues
Index to the Fifth Year
Thank you for your interest in these blog posts! Here is a listing by topic for posts since October 2019. (Some topics overlap.) Social and Racial Justice, Diversity Giving Thanks for Our Native American Neighbors – Nov. 22, 2019 The House Financial Services Committee: A Report Card for 2019 – Dec. 27, 2019 Trump and […]
The Inspiring Hymns of the Rev. Dr. Carl Daw
We sing a lot in the Episcopal Church! It’s not that members of other Protestant denominations don’t sing (they certainly do), but our liturgies – depending on the individual congregation, priest, and music director – are routinely peppered not only with hymns but also chants, responses and intoned prayers. We sing many beautiful hymns – […]
Highlighting Three Black Men of Renown
One of my fellow parishioners in southern Vermont, Imogene Drakes, PhD, has introduced us, through our monthly newsletter and an article in our local newspaper, to several African American men who, she says, “are not household names — and they should be.” Let us pick up on Dr. Drakes’ introductions and offer some short biographical […]
Quotes from the 2020 Democratic National Convention
For all intents and purposes, the first-ever virtual Democratic National Convention, held August 17 to 20, was a great success (at least according to many pundits). Among the comments heard in the aftermath included kudos for holding two-hour sessions during prime time, the wide diversity of speakers, the creative manner in which delegates’ votes were […]
Valuing Silence in a Noisy World^
In June 2016, we explored the lives of the Sisters of St. Margaret, an Episcopal order of sisters based in Duxbury, Massachusetts. During this current season of staying at home – for longer periods of time than most of us ever imagined – much has been written about silence, isolation, loneliness, and other results of […]
Expressing Gratitude for Small Miracles
In order to keep sane during challenging times, it is always fruitful to express gratitude for things that go right or that bring hope. From a progressive perspective in the United States, we do have a few pieces of news for which we can shout “hurrah!” Confederate Monuments Come Tumbling Down In Richmond, VA, the […]
Refuting the Homogeneity Argument: The Evidence is In
Often when the issue of European social safety net practices is broached among Americans the argument eventually turns to the question of our racial and ethnic diversity and our large size versus other countries’ relative homogeneity and small size. The argument asserts that the US cannot (and should not) implement European social practices because our […]
Two Powerful Messages for Our Times
From The Council of the Society of Biblical Literature and Executive Staff of the Society of Biblical Literature A Statement on Black Lives Matter, Right to Protest, and Bible as Prop The Council of the Society of Biblical Literature and Executive Staff of SBL issue the following statement: We are appalled at the murder of […]
The Voting Conundrum: More Impacts from the Coronavirus Pandemic
Shortly after the 2016 election, we discussed voting in the US and in our sister nations around the world. We noted the many initiatives being taken in the US to improve the way we vote in this country. We pointed out that other countries have much better turnout rates, in part because they offer different ways […]