Yesterday I expressed my deep concern about the recent spate of actual physical attacks aimed at Christianity. But we are being targeted by more than violence. This morning the Washington Post carried an op-ed by an admitted Muslim, that seems mostly to say “Christianity is not all it is cracked up to be and Islam is not as bad as you say it is.” But it is based on a straw man.. . .
Hamlet – Act 1, Scene 5 – “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” I am a Presbyterian, one of the so-called “frozen chosen.” I am not prone to the more spectacular displays of Christian faith like “slaying in the spirit” or “speaking in tongues,” But this morning’s blatant and deadly attack on a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan is enough to make me say, right out loud, that the spiritual warfare that constantly surrounds us has decidedly turned very visible and very hot.. . .
There is a planting patch next to my back door. When we bought the place it was overgrown, the shrubs and flowers consumed by an ivy. I hired a crew to clean out the bed completely and replanted a few day lilies and a red bud tree. Only one problem – the ivy resprouts every few days. I have to spray the bed with a mild herbicide almost continuously to keep the ivy in check. The stuff is persistent, and I find myself struggling to know what to do.. The problem is deeper than I thought. So it is with our problems of political violence. It is going to take new and novel effort to eradicate them. . . .
I guess I am too optimistic. I thought the Charlie Kirk assassination would represent some sort of nadir, but alas, yesterday’s ICE shooting proves me quite wrong. Our politics are a symptom of our problems, but our problems are deep, deep in the soul of this nation.. . .
A simple headline count this morning would indicate the the biggest news of the last cycle was the return of a certain host to late night television – even if a significant portion of the networks affiliates did not air the show. Disclaimer, didn’t watch – didn’t want to watch, hadn’t watched before. Don’t really care. But there are some issues at play here worth discussing.. . .
Mary Shelley’s original novel, Frankenstein, is a cautionary tale. Written in 1818, it is by today’s standards a difficult read, and since it has been made into countless movies, no one generally bothers. But the heart of the book is that when man attempts to do things reserved only for God (in this case create life by unnatural processes) monstrosity results – despite our best intentions. It can be thought of as an affirmation of Natural Law. I wonder if we are not living it.. . .
For most people, a memorial service is the point where mourning ends and building a life without the lost soul begins. But after the Charlie Kirk memorial service, the narrative battle has begun in earnest. That fact alone is deeply troubling. There is nothing to fight over – this was an evil act, executed by a miserable and perverse soul. We should be able to unite around those few incontrovertible facts. And, by and large, no one disputes those facts. But that said people are rushing over them, trampling them even, to get to their political point.. . .
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