The Archives

• 11.05.08
  Why Politics is More Exciting than Christianity
  Ecclesiology, News, Theology (3)

  Watching people's passionate involvement in the intense politics of the past month or so has been an interesting phenomenon.  We literally had millions of people working in one way or another to get their candidates elected, and last night we watched as euphoria erupted over an election of historic proportions. It left me wondering: Why doesn't the church drum up this much excitement and passion? My preliminary guess is that politics offers the kind of eschatology that should be offered in the church. With each major election people talk and think about change.  New possibilites begin to form in imaginations.  "What if..." ...
  
  
• 11.04.08
  How Christians Can Avoid a Tax Increase Under Obama
  News (4)

  To the 74% of white evangelicals (and other Christians) who voted for John McCain and are worried that Obama will raise your taxes: If his tax plan goes as he plans, only families making $250,000 or more will have an increase in taxes.  If that doesn't sit well with you, you have an alternative.  Give more away to your church and favorite charities.  Check with your CPA on this, but I believe up to 50% of income can be deducted for charitable contributions.  So, if you make between $250,000 and $499,999, you'll be in the lower bracket if you give away ...
  
  
• 10.13.08
  Why are Politics and Theology Directly Related?
  Ecclesiology, Theology (1)

  I find it interesting as I read blogs of people of certain theological persuasions during election season because you tend to learn their political leanings as well.  In reading through the various blogs this year I've noticed that most people on the more liberal end of the theological spectrum are liberal politically, and conservatives are the other way around. Is there anything intrinsic within the different theological positions that gravitate people towards certain political opinions?  Why can't someone more theologically liberal take the opinion that while they staunchly believe in the gospel in all its social outworking that the government is ...
  
  
• 10.09.08
  A Presidential Debate Idea
  Random (1)

  After two snoozer debates with mostly empty rhetoric, it is pretty obvious the candidates don't want to talk isses or facts.  So we should at least make this entertaining and raise the stakes.  My new dabate format proposal: The moderator is there to try and keep time commitments even. The questions are asked by one candidate to the other candidate.  The candidate has 2-3 minutes to respond. The candidate who asks the question is free to offer a rebuttal, but has only 10 total minutes available for rebuttal during the entire debate, requiring them to be brief, and/or choose their rebuttals carefully. To make ...
  
  
• 10.06.08
  Powers of the President
  News (0)

  Thinking about the upcoming election, I was trying to think about what the really important and powerful roles of the president actually are. I came up with my top three: Commander-in-Chief: Obviously, the power to command the United States troops is a significant role of the president, especially as we are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Appointments: Cabinet members, judges, ambassadors, etc. Who a president surrounds himself with is fairly significant. What might the "bailout" have looked like if Henry Paulson wasn't Secretary of the Treasury?  It could be significantly different.  And of course, you have Supreme Court Justices as well. Veto: ...