Just What Did You Expect from Trump?

In the aftermath of weekend revelations concerning Trump's sexism and Monday night's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, evangelical Trump supporters are rethinking their position.  Some have been "shocked" at Trump from the "hot-mike" comments made before a 2005 interview with Billy Bush for Access Hollywood.  Shocked that Trump views women as sexual objects.  Shocked that he goes after married women for sport.  Shocked that he assaults women because he can.  Just shocked!

Swimming Against the Riptide of Gender Bending

While on vacation at the ocean some time back, I was rafting some gentle waves and lost track of the shoreline.  When I looked up, I was far from land.  I immediately began to swim back for the beach but was caught in a strong current.  I fought hard for shore but was moving farther and farther from land.  There was a point where I thought I didn’t have the strength to make it back – in fact I had gotten very nearly to the point of no return.

I now have that same sense in regard to our culture.  Yesterday, the New York Times stated that the Department of Education would issue guidelines that schools should allow students to participate in activities and use facilities in accordance with the gender with which they identify.  These guidelines come with the threat of removing federal funds if schools do not comply.  I heard high school principals, state officials from around the country, and progressive educators explaining the benefits both for our students and our country.  Cultural elites are hailing this as a great day for fairness and an inevitable step of progress toward true equality for all.

Living in Bizarro World

Do you remember the Seinfeld episode which focused on Bizarro World, a concept taken from Superman comics? Also incorporating the now famous “man hands” sketch, this episode was hilarious. In Bizarro world, everything is backwards. Good is bad, up is down, left is right, etc. Lately, I feel as if I’ve been dropped into Bizarro world myself. “How so?” you may ask. Because the most recent 2016 presidential election polls show Donald Trump leading the Republican field with nearly 40% of evangelical Christians now supporting him. I am pausing now for emphasis … EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS!

Hurtling Down the Slippery Slope

(Author’s Note:  Though I originally wrote this post in July, I have been so busy that I have just now found a moment to edit it and step back into blogging.) 

I realize that the more I wade into this marriage water, the hotter it is going to get.  My views (though unchanging) are increasingly becoming politically incorrect and soon to be, if not now already, branded as “bigoted” and “hateful”.  I adamantly reject those labels and press on.  I suppose I want to get on record now so that as events and decisions regarding marriage play out in our country, a memory (however faint it may be) of these words may provoke others to consider what I’m saying.

Traditional Marriage – Facing a Painful Reality

I like war movies.  I guess I got that from my dad.  My father was a WWII veteran who lied about his age and volunteered as a 16 year-old to fight for America.  He was always quick to explain that his patriotism and desire for adventure greatly exceeded his knowledge of what he was getting into.  I have two sons of my own, the youngest of which is seventeen.  It is hard for me to imagine either of them going to Italy and fighting across the Apennine Mountains at the age of 17.   I can’t imagine having done so myself.  Yet my dad and many others did. I used to love to watch war movies with my dad and listen to him talk about the different battle tactics.

Is Olympic Pride a Bad Thing?

As I was doing some Bible study today, I came across a passage of Old Testament scripture that I don't often read.  It made me consider the topic of national pride.  I've always been a patriotic American, but is national pride always a good thing?  As I watch the Olympic games and smugly react when America leads other countries in medals, I have to step back and think about my attitude.

A&E Network and Cracker Barrel – Birds of a Feather?

The recent actions of both the A&E network and Cracker Barrel restaurants are similar signs of the moral confusion of the times.  These companies’ respective responses to the controversial comments of Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson give a revealing view of the corporate culture of each company.  Both A&E and Cracker Barrel have a carefully crafted, though very different, public image.  Each company portrays itself as clearly standing for certain values.  In the end, however, we see that neither company has any real convictions – other than the conviction that consumers are resources to be exploited for profit.

10 Lessons I Have Learned Blogging

One year ago today, I posted my first entry on Marking the Times.  I still don’t consider myself a blogger, but I have learned a few things these last twelve months.  I started blogging because writing down my ideas helps clarify them in my mind.  Knowing that others might read my opinions makes me think carefully about what I say.  I never really thought anyone would be interested in my thoughts, but I wanted to contribute to the conversation if I could.  I have been pleasantly surprised (maybe “shocked” is a better word) by the interest in my musings. Most of us like to know what others think about various topics – it helps refine our own thoughts.

I have been surprised to see how steadily the readership has grown.  No big fanfare, no explosive growth – just steady increases.  I am trying to avoid concerning myself with how many people are reading or if the monthly statistics are growing, but I am just as human as the next guy.  I do look, and I do watch to see if people are increasingly interested.

Chicken or Egg? Does Wealth Create Family Stability ?

While scanning news sites this morning, I saw a couple of headlines that caught my eye.  An article titled “Children suffer from growing economic inequality among families since recession” by Brigid Schulte was posted in the “Local” section of today’s Washington Post, but the implications of this article are anything but local.  The impetus for Schulte’s article is the report just released by Ohio State University social scientist Zhenchao Qian titled “Divergent Paths of American Families”.  Qian examined census and other data regarding income, poverty, and family status in the United States.  Both Schulte and Qian miss the point.



Ribeye Steak, a Polish Waiter and Being an American

For the first time in a long while, my wife and I have the chance to get away alone for a few days.  We chose to go back to Williamsburg, Virginia.  It’s been great so far.  I love Virginia.  The history here is incredible.  Both sides of my family have roots in Virginia dating back to the 1620’s in Jamestown.  During our tour of the Williamsburg capitol building, it was all I could do to keep from getting the tour guide’s attention and blurting out that my great-great-great-great…grandfather sat right here (well the capitol was actually in Jamestown then, but why quibble over historical details) in the 1623 House of Burgesses.  I was sure he would be automatically impressed and ask me to expound on my great knowledge of what it means to be an American.  Being the humble man that I am, however, I didn’t want to make others feel as if they were lesser Americans, so I held back. 

Now Flatulating Cattle are Driving Teens from the Church?

When I wrote my last post on Christians and climate change a few days ago, I had no idea the New York Times would publish the following article validating my points:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/science/earth/what-to-make-of-a-climate-change-plateau.html?_r=1&

Again, I'm not discounting the possibility of global warming - I'm just challenging the confidence of what we really know.  I've had some people come after me very aggressively for my views on the subject.  I just find an incredible amount of hubris in the environmental science world about an incredibly difficult to solve (mathematically) problem.  Forgive me if my wee bit of experience (OK, a little more than a wee bit) mathematically predicting physical phenomenon makes me skeptical of the confidence of the environmental climatologists.

All that being said, I want to reiterate that it really doesn't matter if the science is correct or not - Christians should be the first in line to take care of the planet, albeit without unnecessarily taking a "hair-on-fire" kind of approach.

Famine in Malawi and Flatulating Kentucky Cattle

Conservative Christians really get a bum rap when it comes to certain social movements.  Some of it is fair – we can be quick to oppose anything “the world” tells us is true.  I read an article today which made me think.  The article, titled "The church in a land of climate change" was written by Jonathan Merritt – a young Christian culture thinker and writer.  Merritt works hard not to reject ideas just because they originated outside Christianity.  I like most of his writing.  Heck, I liked this article.  I just don’t agree with his core assumptions. 

Ready the Millstone!

Matthew 18:6 (HCSB)
But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!

For someone who tries to communicate with others through the use of the keyboard, my reserve of written words is very low at the moment.  In fact, I am sickened to the point of being nearly speechless.  I have just finished reading an amended lawsuit filed by former members against a relatively small but (up to now) influential evangelical denomination.  I am disgusted.  I am sickened.  My blood is boiling.

Boston Bomber Proves that Idle Hands Are the Devil's Workshop

Your grandma told you it was so: "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop."  The story of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the elder brother of the Boston bombers, lends strong credence to this largely ignored wisdom.  In the article linked below, we see that Tsarnaev was apparently lazy before he was evil.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/tamerlan-tsarnaev-and-family-received-welfare_719056.html

Can Christianity and Freedom of Conscience Coexist?

I can't count the number of times I've heard what, to me at least, is possibly the most poorly reasoned charge leveled against Christianity.   It usually goes something like this:  "You Christians are so closed-minded and just want to force your beliefs on everyone else.  How arrogant to say you have 'the' Truth.  Why can't you just keep your beliefs to yourself?  Just go away!"  This attitude is getting a lot of play in the public square, with many people thinking they are doing the United States a favor by trying to suppress Christians from even admitting what they believe.  They apparently just want serious Christians to be gone.  Here's a recent example:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/teacher-fired-for-bible-nj-teacher-fired-for-giving-bible-to-inquisitive-student-93848/cpt

A New Era for Christians in America

Like any number of other (maybe "real" would be a better descriptor) culture observers, I came to the realization on November 14, 2012 that we were entering a new era for Christians in America.  After the second election of Barack Obama, there was no denying that "the times, they are a-changing."  The following months have only brought even greater clarity to that assessment.  Christianity is no longer culturally cool - at least not Biblical Christianity.  In fact, it appears the culture is heading toward downright antagonism toward historic Christianity.

Is Rand Paul Channeling Jefferson Smith?

I don't know how many times I had the debate with Republicans in 2010.  "How can you support Rand Paul?" they asked me.  "He's too polarizing!"  "His father's a kook!"  "What we need in Washington is cooperation and compromise."  "He won't work with the established senators."  "He's one of those nutty Tea Partiers!" "He's a loose cannon!"

Man Up

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Teddy Roosevelt - Citizenship in a Republic - Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Playing "Chicken" with the Country

Here comes the next chapter in our 2013 political crisis calendar – sequestration.  We’ll see who blinks first in this coming head-on game of chicken between the big-government do-gooders and the small-government do-it-yourselfers.  In an article titled “Defcon Hill” by Jeremy Herb posted today on The Hill, we learn that if we haven’t resolved the budget crisis by March 1, up to 800,000 civilian military employees will be impacted with furloughs.  These furloughs could be as much as one day per week the rest of the year – effectively a 20% cut in pay.  The Pentagon notes that because the President has the power to protect active military personnel, the civilian workforce is the only place to turn to respond to the forced reductions which will be required by sequestration if we do not come to a budget agreement by then.

Breach of Trust - Part 2

Link to Part 1

Some time ago, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding a Chinese businessman who had spent time working in the United States.  This man had an interesting observation about the success of American business.  He said America succeeds economically because, in general, we can trust each other in a way that was completely missing in China.  In China, he stated, you could not trust what anyone told you.  You just understood that others would take advantage of you if they got the chance.  He didn't see that in the United States.  He observed that at least in the business world, there was a general assumption of truthfulness and honesty.  He concluded that this is what makes American business work.

I find that interesting.  It wasn't our laws or our ingenuity that make our businesses work.  It wasn't our technology or our work ethic.  It wasn't our universities, our natural resources, or our intelligence.  He concluded it was our honesty in business that made our economy work.  He further concluded that it was our generally Christian worldview that provided the expectation of general honesty.  This Chinese man was so impacted by what he saw that he became a Christian himself.  He concluded that Christianity was the answer China needed for its own society, and he took his new faith with him when he repatriated.