We live just down the road from a large Mormon congregation—or a large church building, at any rate. Not surprisingly, we receive regular visits from the missionaries dispatched to woo and win our neighborhood. Though the individuals vary each time, the pattern is consistent: Two clean-cut Caucasian young men with American accents, friendly and engaging,…
I rarely publish articles by guest writers, but do make occasional exceptions. One exception I am always glad to make is when Tim Keesee, one of my favorite writers, offers to send one of his dispatches my way. Here is one he prepared just a few days ago. Temple SquareSalt Lake CityDecember 6 Took a…
No End to Eurogedden – I found this article rather interesting, and particularly the distinction made between the 2 sides of the Euro divide. “In effect, there is already two currencies: the ‘Lutheran Euro,’ characterized by Germany, the Netherlands and Finland. The label has nothing to do with religion but with countries that are based…
For Whom the Bell Tolls – Thomas Sowell takes on the riots and violence in Britain and the US of A. “Not only the trends over the years leading up to these riots but also the squeamish responses to them by officials — on both sides of the Atlantic — reveal the moral dry rot…
September 25 will mark 9 years since this blog began. I guess it is more accurate to say that it will mark 9 years since the site began–the blog took a few months to come to life. It was 9 years ago that I decided to begin a web site that would display pictures of…
Congregations Gone Wild – An unusual op-ed from the Times: “The American clergy is suffering from burnout, several new studies show. And part of the problem, as researchers have observed, is that pastors work too much. Many of them need vacations, it’s true. But there’s a more fundamental problem that no amount of rest and…
So here I sit at 8:09 AM on a Thursday morning wondering what I am going to say today. There are times when I find writing this blog a great joy and there are times where I find it a heavy burden. Those tough times are blessedly few. Today I feel neither; I suppose I’m…
This marks the third interview I’ve completed with artists involved in various disciplines. I first interviewed Max McLean about performance art and then Makoto Fujimura on his abstract art. Today I turn to photography and interview Lukas VanDyke, a photographer I have met at several conferences. Lukas is an exceptional photographer and I enjoyed his…
This is the first of the “Great Giveaways” for 2008 (somehow January slipped past without one). Through the last months of 2007 I was able to give away books, Bibles, CDs and all sorts of good things. We’ll be starting 2008 by giving away a load of great DVDs. The Sponsor This month’s sponsor is…
The Bible Experience is a unique product. Featuring a unique cast, it offers what is surely a unique recording of the Bible. Hear the words of the Bible brought to life like never before. Inspired By…The Bible Experience: New Testament Audio CD is a fully-dramatized reading of the Bible performed by an unprecedented ensemble of…
The day after the birth of a child is clearly not the time to be doing serious writing. Thus today I will only ramble, posting a compendium of things that have been on my mind this week. While I managed to get a fair amount of sleep yesterday (never have I been so thankful for…
Classical music was once almost exclusively the preserve of white men. It was believed that women could simply not play as well as men, for they did not have the strength, attitude or resilience for many pieces of music. Over the past few decades, though, classical music has undergone a transformation. Musicians, rather than facing…
Thursday January 12, 2006 Theology: Phil Johnson is growing impatient with people demanding immediate exegesis. “But the principle of sola Scriptura has never meant that all theological arguments are invalid unless they can be substantiated with some proof-text. “ Blogspotting: Jollyblogger agrees with me (and hence with Dave Swavely) about the impropriety of judging another…