Because it would be bad to be caught flatfooted. The paperback edition of Leepike Ridge is due to be released one week from today.
The Fallen Booth of David/Amos 9
INTRODUCTION: We come now to the conclusion of Amos, at least in the form of going through it passage by passage. Next week we will look at the book as a whole, and then some applications—Amos for Americans. THE TEXT: “Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of …
Which Should Be Obvious
“In contrast, multiculturalism is tied to the position that all we have are different cultures without any borders surrounding them. That’s like saying that there are all kinds of lines on the chart, but there’s no paper” (Steve Schlissel, Christian Culture in a Multicultural Age, p. 101).
Let’s Fry Them Up in Crisco
Many years ago, when I was in a band, I came home one evening after a practice or a gig or something. I say this because I remember this incident vividly, and I was carrying my guitar. The kids were in bed, and Nancy met me at the door very worried about something. Our duplex …
Before the Civility Fairy Twanged Him with a Wand
H.L. Mencken once ably described democracy as the art and science of running the zoo from the monkey house. There are placid periods where one is permitted to forget this, but every so often elections happen to us, and everything gets ripe and fruity. James Dobson took Obama to ask for his comments in a …
Crude Oil 2.0
This is not just some fun news. It ought to make us ponder. If we think about this carefully, it ought to make us question many of our assumptions about the world — whether those assumptions are economic, geo-political, environmental, household financial management, or religious. Put in short form, the world does not work the …
Swearing By the Temple/Amos V
INTRODUCTION: We have come to the second of three pointed words from the prophet, addressed to a disobedient Israel. The first begins with “hear this word” (3:1). The second does the same (4:1). The third begins with “hear ye this word” (5:1). God’s judgments are not designed by Him as surprise attacks. Surprise does result, …
Eating Out of the Zeitgeist Can With a Spoon
Rodney Clapp says a number of structurally admirable things in his conclusion, but he can’t get them to add up. He states, rightly, that baptism is a political act (p. 121). He says, also rightly, “for the baptized, nothing can be more basic or more significant than their baptism” (p. 122). Batting a thousand, he …
Simple Pimple
I have finished Rodney Clapp’s book, and enjoyed it a good deal. This post will be on his penultimate chapter — on violence and peace, and my last post, following shortly thereafter, will be on the central contradiction that has plagued Clapp’s attempt to work through these issues. This post will be fairly short because …
Scram, Padre
I am genuinely enjoying Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction. As I have mentioned before, Rodney Clapp is an astute social critic, and many of his insights are really valuable. But there are times, and this chapter is one of them, when the underlying incoherence of his political theology catches up with him, tackles …