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Jesus commanded St. Peter, the disciple who had betrayed Jesus, to “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep,” (John’s Gospel 21:15-17.) By issuing these commands, Jesus showed that he had forgiven Peter. The three commands are often put forth simply as “Feed my sheep.” Theologians may argue that the Word of GodRead more

This post will be the first entry in a series concerning Christian involvement in politics. I am writing this series, at least in part, because I question how several of our presidential candidates invoke their understanding of Christianity as a rational for soliciting votes. I hope the posts will provide some insight to readers whoRead more

The recent and continuing tragic, but not completely unexpected, events in Paris and Europe confirm that a state of war exists between the western democracies (e.g., the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France) and a militant subset of Islam (e.g., the Islamic State—IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh— and Al Qaida.) No amount of obfuscation,Read more

My immediately preceding post discussed Ms. Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, and her supporters who have attempted to force their theological ideas onto all citizens of that county with respect to same gender marriage, which she opposes as a result of her fundamentalist distortions of Holy Scripture. I argued that Ms. DavisRead more

“Don’t you want to go to heaven?” This question came from the audience during a short devotion I presented several years ago on the topic of why we become and remain Christians. I stated the purpose of the Christian life was not primarily for us to go to heaven but to live in accordance withRead more

My good friend and highly valued former colleague at the old Burroughs-Wellcome pharmaceutical company, Richard Fleck, suggested I could have said a lot more in my previous blog post—Same Sex Marriage: Why The Fuss In Alabama? Rick particularly and rightfully pointed out that I could have invoked Amendment 14, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution:Read more

I experienced an epiphany concerning time when I was a sophomore at LaGrange High School. This sudden new insight occurred shortly after my first day in Mrs. Raymond Smith’s sophomore English class. Mrs. Smith and my grandmother, Mama Ruth, sang in the choir at the First Presbyterian Church. I sometimes noticed Mrs. Smith looking intentlyRead more

I typed the first sentence of a new blog post into the computer, Several aspects of Christmas perplex me. A soft blue light suffused my writing den, the clock stopped at 2:00 a.m., and a sharp knock sounded on the doorframe as the visitor came into the room and sat on the chair to myRead more

The following is an excerpt from my in progress book, Through The Wilderness – a collection of essays on subjects at the interface of religion, science, politics, and culture. POLITICS: WHY AND HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS PARTICIPATE? First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings andRead more

From my Ebook, Thoroughly Biased Opinions, an edited collection of my columns published in the Franklin County Citizen. I wrote this column when POTUS George W. Bush was still in office. (Photo courtesy of Folkert Gorter.) Know the Enemy Many, if not most, Americans probably do not understand how the current battles in Iraq, Afghanistan,Read more