Why care about Political Party Platforms, especially when it comes to freedoms of speech and religion? For the Christian looking at politics, a platform is–to a voter–what a Statement of Faith is to a church seeker. It outlines what the organization believes enough to commit to print. While the pastor, staff, and parishioners don’t always […]
Why is The Star-Spangled Banner even in our hymnals, you might ask? The Star-Spangled Banner isn’t present in all or even most hymnals. My collection is about half and half. The group which contain this patriotic song consider it a hymn. The ones that don’t apparently consider it a secular song. Before we’re quick to […]
For the sake of simplicity and ease of discussion, I will be using the Libertarian Party platform (LP) to find the overarching principles. At 7 pages, it was more concise and easier to use for Comparing Political Platforms that I began outlining in our last edition. The added detail in both the DNC-Democrat, and RNC-Republican platforms is helpful for explaining […]
I promised someone on social media that I would create a post comparing political platforms of the various parties and then in separate posts, I will compare subheadings to Christianity. Particularly in an election year where the personalities have a tendency to dominate the media coverage over the ideologies of the candidates and their parties, […]
As part of my patriotic hymn series, especially in light of the hotly argued and very divided election before us, consider these words Before an Election by Reverend Peter Marshall, who twice served as Senate Chaplain (1947-1949). Before an Election appears as hymn #689 in Hymns for the Family of God. Lord Jesus, we ask […]
The next patriotic hymn I’d like to share is America the Beautiful, lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates. Bates was born as one of four children of Congregational minister, William Bates, and his wife Cornelia Frances Lee (an educator). Katherine’s father died when she was a child, but her mother instilled in her the value of […]
While preparing for the next installment of patriotic hymns, I came across the social obligations of a Christian. Oh, I consulted a variety of hymnals, most of which I’ve picked up at second-hand stores. No one seems to want them anymore but me and a thrift store is about the only place one can find […]
Someone on social media recently attacked my character and passed judgment upon (1) my skin color and that of my friends, (2) my desire to point to the full Gospel and the full truth instead of to superficial things like feelings and cafeteria truth where you can take only what you want, (3) my inability to be […]
I don’t know about you, but I’m looking at our world in chaos. At our world of politics in America, of terror on a global scale, of a growing racial divide, of increasing violence, of dire illnesses of weather extremes of the disappearance of the rule of law, of the chaos ensuing and enveloping every institution […]
Reflecting on what is good instead of what is so awful. Imagine a world along with me…
