In our last post, we discussed the Rev. Franklin Graham’s negative attitudes toward same-sex relationships, especially in the context of his criticisms of Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and Graham’s use of Bible verses to support his stances. Here we will outline some of the scholarly research concerning same-sex relationships in the early church (from […]
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Franklin Graham, the Bible and the Gay Issue, Part I: Introduction
The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, has recently been in the news for lambasting Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for being gay. The younger Graham follows in his father’s footsteps in regarding homosexuality as a sin, something to be repented of. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), of […]
Happiness and Health: A Correlation?
The World Happiness Report is out for 2019. Is there anything we can learn from the current top three “happiest countries in the world” and their health care systems, especially as compared to our own in the United States? Is there a way to see how health care systems and citizen happiness are related? We […]
Considering Mayor Pete
If you haven’t yet heard about “Mayor Pete” – that is, Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana – you will soon. Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg (pronounced buddha-judge or boot-edge-edge) is currently making a splash, not only on the national media circuit but also in fundraising as he considers a run for the Presidency on […]
Message to LGBTQ Methodists: The Episcopal Church Welcomes You!
In late February 2019, the General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC) voted, once again, to “maintain the Church’s position on homosexuality, gay clergy and gay marriage as stated in the Book of Discipline” – that is, to ban gay marriage and gay clergy. The UMC at its General Conference in April 2008 had […]
Defining Our Terms: Essential for the 2020 Race
Terminology matters. As the 2020 presidential election cycle heats up, there is a great deal of banter in the air, among politicians, pundits, journalists, citizens, etc., about terms such as “socialism,” “Democratic Socialism,” “the radical left,” “welfare state,” capitalism and others. I am not an expert in economics or political science, but I offer the […]
Celebrating Black History Month in Vermont Part II: Steps in the Right Direction
In Part I of our examination of blacks in Vermont, we noted how Vermont got to be where it is vis-à-vis “whiteness” and saw some signs of hope in the area of increased diversity but, on the flip side, we witnessed examples of negative developments and even backlash. Here we will offer an array of […]
Celebrating Black History Month in Vermont Part I: History, Demographics and Setbacks
Happy Black History Month! In this and the subsequent blog post, we will be exploring African Americans in Vermont. As many people are aware, Vermont is among the whitest states in the Union. Some of us white Americans, and many non-white Vermont residents, would love to see this change and are committed to diversity and […]
Elizabeth Warren and Capitalism: She’s in Favor
As the 2020 presidential election already heats up (too soon, for some of us!), it is important that we are clear on where candidates stand on the important issues. We also need to beware of strident propaganda that distorts the truth, raises irrational fears, and blurs the picture. Here we will focus on Massachusetts Senator […]
Updates on Issues Previously Raised
We have commented on a number of issues in the past which we can now update. First, we noted in “Hillary and Helen: Women ‘Deleted’ by the Texas Board of Education,” posted on September 21, 2018, that the Texas Board of Education had voted preliminarily in September 2018 to delete several significant figures from the […]