One year ago, I posted my first blog on WisdomWordsPPF.org! I thought I would provide a review of the topics and topic areas, to give new visitors a feel for what I have been covering and to help sporadic visitors to get caught up. (Note that there are overlaps in the following selections.) Posts on […]
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Thecla, Paul and the Prehistoric Goddess
What do Chicago, Clinton Township, Michigan, and Pembroke, Massachusetts have in common? They are all home to churches named for St. Thecla. Who was Thecla? The story of Thecla is found in the apocryphal book, The Acts of Paul and Thecla, written in the late second century. Church leader Tertullian, writing about 200 in de […]
The Incentive Argument: Lessons from Nordic Nations
There is a longstanding conservative argument in the United States that too much “welfare” leads to over-dependence on government largesse (at the expense of working Americans), a huge absence of incentive to work and be productive, and the advent of the so-called “welfare queen” (a pejorative term tinged with racist overtones). As noted in a […]
Roger Ailes, The Media and What We All Need to Know
Most of us who have been paying attention to the news over the past few months are aware that Roger Ailes, the long-time CEO of Fox News, was recently forced out due to sexual harassment complaints. What has emerged from his “take-down” goes way beyond sexual harassment (which is bad enough, of course). A September […]
It All Becomes Clear Now: Psychology and the Presidential Race
Whatever you call it, it’s not good! There are people among us who make our skin crawl, whom we might, at certain moments, consider “evil.” They are dangerous in any situation but especially in situations where they have power over others. We do not need a degree in psychology to recognize or be affected by […]
Images from Philippi
Philippi in northern Greece is an important city for the history of Christianity and a fascinating archaeological site. Here we will highlight a few features that raise important issues for modern contemplation, since Christianity has had such vast influence on the West. I will illustrate these points using photos of mine taken on site during […]
Fear, Toxicity and Truth-Telling: Three Short Reports from the Christian Century
The Christian Century is not only for Christians – or even only for those who consider themselves religious. This biweekly magazine, which was established in 1884, deals very professionally and intelligently with a wide range of timely issues, including political and social justice topics. In their summary section entitled “Century Marks,” the journal summarizes recent […]
Making Millions Off Others’ Suffering 2: The Way Things Could Be
In our previous Making Millions post, we examined a number of areas of American life that are negatively impacted by large corporations and their leaders. These entities and individuals have successfully pressured Congress for decades to pass legislation that favors them; whatever their individual psychological make-up or motives, many very wealthy Americans frequently make exponentially more money […]
Making Millions Off Others’ Suffering 1: The Way Things Are
We need to wake up to a harsh reality: much of what we see around us in the United States, which we often attribute to the free market or American ingenuity and resourcefulness, is actually creativity and money-making off people’s suffering and needs. As I have argued in past posts, other advanced nations do not […]
Robin Williams’ 10 Top Reasons to be an Episcopalian
If you are happy with your current faith tradition, no need to read this post! I offer it not to try to convert folks who don’t need converting but rather to present an amusing (and, I hope, helpful) assessment by a beloved, lately-departed entertainer for those who might like to explore the Episcopal Church. Enjoy! […]