information

Apology to Guatemala

A news report being broadcast on all major networks: Washington  — The United States apologized Friday for a 1946-1948 research study in which people in Guatemala were intentionally infected with sexually transmitted diseases. A statement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the action “reprehensible.” “We... [Read more]

Tight shoes, Good Samaritan, and Roman Catholics

Do you remember what Our Lord Jesus said to the Samaritan Woman when they had their discussion about worship? “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither... [Read more]

partner

Tight shoes, the Good Samaritan, and Our Lord Jesus Christ

It will be helpful to look at the ten northern tribes of Israel, nicknamed the “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” As with most nicknames there is some truth and some exaggeration to it. For those of you who may not have heard that nickname before, let me give you a very short summary of a lot of history. After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became the next King of Israel. But, for various reasons,... [Read more]

terms

No Western Orthodox Patriarch and tight shoes

There is a most interesting fact that points to a very interesting idea. Do you realize that the Orthodox have never appointed a replacement Patriarch of the West? There are many Eastern Orthodox Churches in the West. There are many Metropolitans in the West. There are various jurisdictions in the West. But, there is no universally recognized autocephalous autonomous Church in the West. (I say universally... [Read more]

mail

Tight fitting shoes and truth

Yesterday I said: But, this does not answer the deeper question. How do we know what is truth if our perception of truth is influenced by our culture? And, what mechanisms did God put in place to ensure that the truth would indeed be passed on? Right up front, I need to tell you that part of the answer is faith. But, that is an accurate statement not only for Christians, but also for every human... [Read more]

Tight fitting shoes and Ecumenical Councils

Three days ago, I posted a note on women wearing shoes, for the sake of fashion, that are so badly designed that the women end up with deformed feet. I commented on that post that: Rather, I am making the point of how powerful is the formative power of culture. Most of us do not realize just how powerful, how strong, culture is internalized. From the moment you leave the womb, even how you leave... [Read more]

conditions

The power of culture

Do you remember when you first learned in class that there was a period in Chinese history in which many Chinese women had their feet bound from the time they were babies? Multiple theories attempt to explain the origin of foot binding: from the desire to emulate the naturally tiny feet of a favored concubine of a prince, to a story of an empress who had club-like feet, which became viewed as a desirable... [Read more]

language

Follow up thoughts on it isn’t true just because someone told you so

One person who commented on my post, Something is not true simply because someone said so, wondered about the place of the Holy Spirit in my description of the Early Church Fathers: Would you not say that they relied on the Holy Spirit then, as He did His work in that era, but they did so in humility and through their everyday dealings and practices (“Scripture, prayer, reflection, fasting, consultation... [Read more]

handbook

Something is not true simply because someone said so

Sometimes one reads two totally unrelated posts and it sparks some thinking in one’s mind. This happened to me today. Above is the latest Pithless Thought cartoon. And from another totally unrelated blog and blog post comes the following commentary: The longer I have been a believer in and follower of Jesus, the less I have been attracted to “movements” (“fads?”) in the church. I realize... [Read more]

Rand Paul, the Tea Party and Libertarianism

There has been a lot of furor over the remarks by Rand Paul recently. Needless to say, defenders of Rand Paul immediately charged that it was “gotcha” journalism. This is the favorite political catch phrase when you have uttered something that turned out to be politically unwise. Unfortunately for Mr. Paul, he has a record of similar statements. Please do Google him and see the various... [Read more]