I wrote this blog post at the airport in Havana, Cuba, while Annie and I waited for our flight home. We were in Cuba for only three days, so I realize that my viewpoint is rather limited. From the moment Annie and I stepped off the plane until we stepped back on, we felt like … Read more
I kid ye not! The Faith of Donald J. Trump: A Spiritual Biography is a brand-new book cowritten by David Brody, a reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network, and Scott Lamb, a Southern Baptist pastor. I’m being a little facetious, but I thought that maybe the book would be ten pages long with a big … Read more
The February 26, 2018, issue of Time magazine featured several articles on the theme of how to live longer better. One article entitled “You Asked: Do Religious People Live Longer?” insinuated that going to church might increase longevity. My last book, Cramming for the Finals, was dedicated to a Roman Catholic priest, Father Tom Schutter, … Read more
Have you ever imagined Jesus as a no-nonsense tough guy? I suspect not! Too many people see Jesus as a saccharinely sweet Mr. Nice Guy, a doormat who wouldn’t hurt a flea. Many paintings depict him as a bit effeminate, with long, wavy, well-coiffed hair and a flowing white gown, which doesn’t strike most people … Read more
In a previous blog post entitled “Mother Teresa and Doubting Thomas,” my editor included a painting by Caravaggio of Doubting Thomas sticking his fingers deep into the chest wound of the “resurrected” Jesus (also shown here). When my editor first showed me the picture, I thought that it seemed a little morbid, but when I … Read more
While visiting Jerusalem in November 2017, I attended an interfaith book launch for a book written by a Palestinian Arab Christian. At the reception, I spoke with an Evangelical Lutheran pastor about her church in Jerusalem and asked how Jews, Christians and Muslims treated the LGBTQUI community in the Holy Lands. She told me that … Read more
I read a fun story in the newspaper last week about a congressman who received a lecture from a radio commentator because he confused the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception with the doctrine of the Incarnation—an easy thing to do, since both are total foolishness. One might call the Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation fake … Read more
In the Marine Corps, I was an expert marksman with both the .45 pistol and the M1 rifle. But I left the Corps in 1958 because I was much more interested in loving people than shooting them. I have no problem with people owning rifles and pistols, but I have a real hard time when … Read more
The Los Angeles Times ran an article on January 15, 2018, entitled “The Earth Is Round, and Other Myths, Debunked by the Flat Earth Movement (You Read That Right),” and here are a few quotes: “Earth is less a big blue marble than a big blue pancake.” “Earth is surrounded by a wall of ice … Read more
Has your family ever had a rift that prevented members from loving each other? As a retired psychotherapist, I am always surprised at how many families have had or still have interfamily conflicts. Family rifts are more common than one might think. Fact is, it seems to be the rare family that doesn’t have conflict … Read more