Category Archives: Ethnicity and race

How dare you even question learned helplessness (or) Wednesday morning coffee

Something interesting happened at The Chronicle of Higher Education this week. Naomi Schaefer Riley posted something that upset enough people who protested strongly enough that she was fired. Schaefer Riley commented on an article in The Chronicle about black studies … Continue reading

Posted in Academia, Economics, Ethnicity and race, News, Society and Culture | Leave a comment

I thank thee Lord that I’m better than (or) Sunday morning coffee

James Taranto in his latest piece at the Wall Street Journal again confirms that is becoming increasingly clear. That a significant factor motivating people to take certain social-political stands is the need to feel superior to others. I think the … Continue reading

Posted in Ethics and Morality, Ethnicity and race, Politics, Society and Culture | Leave a comment

Disunity with a chaser of derision (or) Morning coffee

Things are not looking good in the “we thought this would put all that behind us” department. I have avoided saying anything about the so-called Trayvon Martin or George Zimmerman case. Because quite frankly we shouldn’t be talking about it. … Continue reading

Posted in Ethnicity and race, News, Politics, Propaganda | Leave a comment

Live the Trinity – into suspended animation?

I might have to take a page from the Red Stick Rant book and put this website into temporary(?) hibernation. The last 2 weeks have been working 10-12 hours/day which is fine. Hard work is part of congregational ministry. But … Continue reading

Posted in Announcement, Art, Bible, Buddhism, Ethnicity and race, Hebrew Bible, Internationals and immigrants, Movies and film, New Testament, News, Opera, Politics, Science, Society and Culture | Comments Off

Two artists worth noting – one Israeli/Jewish and one Indian

I cannot explain how but starting about five years ago in two thousand and six began to include works of art in our worship guides. So if one of the Bible readings for that day 1 Samuel 3 would include … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Bible, Ethnicity and race, Internationals, Judaism, Worship and Liturgy | Comments Off

SERMON – “Tradutore no sempre traditore (or) “Truth, Translation, and Transluscence” (Acts 2)

    Truth, Translation, and Translucence: <Traduttore (no) Traditore!> (or) The Flesh/Word Became Word/Flesh and Pitched His Language Among Us (Acts 02) Richard M. Wright Church of the Nations Pentecost Sunday (A) June 12 2011 Everyone speaks French. Not really. … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Ethnicity and race, Internationals and immigrants, Language, Missiology, New Testament, Personal, Sermons | Comments Off

Nonsense and solipsism (or) Morning coffee

Even if we disagree with an idea – even find it repellent – we must try to understand it on its own terms. In other words understand it as the person who holds that idea understands it. Otherwise we are … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Environment, Ethnicity and race, Logic and Reason, Media, News, Politics, Propaganda | Comments Off

Urban conservatism – a movement worth noting

Several times on this website I have written about the importance of the urban-rural divide in our nation. That in my opinion our country is becoming more divided along urban/rural lines than along racial/ethnic lines. It just so happens – … Continue reading

Posted in Ethnicity and race, Media, Politics, Society and Culture | 1 Comment

Academia recognizes complexity of evangelicalism

Interesting article at Chronicle of Higher Education by Timothy Beal entitled “Among the Evangelicals”. Yet as soon as evangelicalism becomes a subject, it splinters and splits. Indeed, taken together, recent studies by more-or-less outsiders show there is no such thing … Continue reading

Posted in Christianity, Ethnicity and race, Religion, Society and Culture | Comments Off

The Lucy Fallacy (or) The mental contortions some employ to condemn Juan Williams along with millions of others

The Lucy Fallacy. In The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis the youngest Pevensie child finds her way into the magical world of Narnia through the back of an old wardrobe. After she returns to this … Continue reading

Posted in Ethnicity and race, Logic and Reason, Media, News, Politics, Propaganda, Society and Culture | Comments Off