Weekly Diary

Katie's Big Week - A nice week for our daughter Katie. She received an academic award at school, and was cast as a Gossiper in the musical, Once on this Island, she'll be part of in June. It has been really fun to watch her find that she likes musical theater, and watch her step up into her roles. She loves acting and singing, but not in a self-centered kind of way. I'm very happy for her.

The New Pope - ...has turned out to be Catholic after all. I mention this because some folks seem surprised that the Cardinals would select someone who is dedicated to upholding core Catholic doctrine, even though this group of Cardinals is much less intellectually and theologically diverse than then group which selected the previous Pope. I can understand the frustration of many American Catholics, and I share many of their concerns, but then again, that's not why I'm a Catholic. And don't be fooled when Ratzinger/Benedict talks about "unity" - he uses the phrase the same way President Bush uses "bi-partisan" - we can be together as long as you agree with and submit to me. (I wonder if this will ever begin to bother American Evangelicals).

Science? Interesting article from Scientist/Blogger Chad Orzel in his blog Uncertain Principles. Seems he got stuck waiting in a doctor's office (and not in Canada or France, but right here in the US - I thought this only happened where they have socialized medicine) and started leafing through the pages of Children's Ministry magazine. (I have used this magazine in the past and found it occasionally helpful). For Orzel, the magazine was a trip to a strange land, but it was the issues article on using science experiments for ministry purposes that got his attention. But wasn't the article's attempt to fuse faith and science which got him - he's broadly sympathetic to that idea - it was that the experiments didn't have any science in them! I think this is very bad, and even though Orzel and I have very different faith commitments, I share his perspective.

Chivas Tonight! - I'm not having birria, but I'd like to. No, tonight the LA Galaxy will be taking on their new inter-city rivals, CD Chivas USA. (Is it "inter" or "intra"? I can never keep those things straight.) This will be very intense. I'm taking my brother to his first soccer match - I figure if he doesn't like this, he won't ever like soccer.

Worst Book Ever - Fred Clark over at Slacktivist is doing all of us a favor by offering his reading of Left Behind, an amazingly best-selling book which some (in fact, a rather appallingly low number in proportion to the book's sales) recognize as being amazingly bad. Fred points out just how bad it can be in this week's installment, in which he comments on the books "we're not conspiracy theorists but here's our conspiracy" point of view and the rather startling tendency the author's have of naming their male characters like porn starts. Go take a look.

Fifth Grade...

...is when my children surpass me. I love to travel, but haven't done much of it. In fifth grad, my son Chris was able to take a trip to Philadelphia and the surrounding area - a trip I would love to make and still haven't had a chance to. I was never even on an airplane until I was twenty-nine.

Katie's fifth grade year began with her surpassing me by being elected Student Council President at her school. I made two failed attempts at a similar office, losing in eighth grade, and winning (I think) as a senior in high school, only to be forced to forfeit the election after stupidly failing a comp class the previous semester.

This week she surpassed me again by getting interviewed by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, in her capacity of school president, for feature the paper is doing on her school. As any good political leader, her quotes were rather bland and on message. I've always wanted to be quoted in the paper, but the closest I've come was about a dozen years ago, when a reporter called me to ask about what our church would be doing for Halloween. (At that time, churches were getting really wound up over whether we should mark "the Devil's Holiday") We talked for close to an hour, and I gave her context for the discussion, helped her understand some of the quotes she had received, basically helped her rewrite the entire article. None of my quotes appeared in the final article, unless you count many sentences and several paragraphs which were essential or actual (but unattributed) quotes from our conversation.

Good for them.

Wow! Gangsta, Clueless, or Venal?

We seem to have reached a point in our political discourse in which words mean absolutely nothing.

Witness this quote from embattled (at least I pray he is embattled) Rep. Tom Delay:

"It is unfortunate in our electoral system, exacerbated by our adversarial media culture, that political discourse has to get so overheated that it's not just arguments, but motives are questioned."

Amazingly, and ironically, Delay made this comment to the National Rifle Association, which has never been known to, uh, undersell their viewpoints.

Where to start? I cannot think of anyone who is more responsible for the venomous atmosphere in Washington than Tom Delay, and it makes me absolutely sick to see Evangelicals rising to his defense. But since many folks likely to be reading this don't share my perspective on Delay and Evangelicalism's Republican captivity, you'll probably be saying - "That's just your opinion". Uh no, it's not. Due to the miracle of the internets, a list of only some of Delay's most poisonous statements is only a mouse click away. (thanks to Hilzoy at Obsidian Wings).

Weekly Diary

A great start to the week. Last Saturday night, Chris and I took in the LA Galaxy's 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake along with our friends from the LA Riot Squad. We love soccer, but also love being with the guys. (Watch this short video to get an idea of just how fun it can be. That's my arm patting one of the video's combatants on the back). You can also see a picture of us at half time here.

We were deeply saddened, however, to learn that the Galaxy (or the corporation which owns the Galaxy and the stadium, AEG) have decided to ban the bacon wrapped hot dog vendors from the facility. These dogs, served with grilled onions, peppers, mustard, ketchup, and Mexican-style mayo (con todo), have become part of the sporting landscape in SoCal. You can see the carts outside Staples center, the Rose Bowl, and the Coliseum. A guy at church had one after the Billy Graham Crusade at the Rose Bowl. We always have them after the matches, and so after last week's victory, we walked out of the stadium ready to follow our noses and the cries of "'oddogh, oddogh, oddogh" to the carts, but they were gone. In memory, I offer this pictorial tribute:




I did my taxes yesterday afternoon, and did them early. I got to the Glendora Post Office by 4:25 pm! Last year, for the first time, I got to be one of those people you see on TV who drive to the big Post Office to get them in by midnight. I drove to Altadena around 10:00 pm. It was kind of fun. This year, we will get $3 back. We owed $115 to the state and will get a $118 refund from the Feds. I'm sure that extra $3 dollars will expand the economy - or at least the well being of the Snyder family.

And that's about it. Wendy was on vacation along with the kids this week, and so I tried to stay happy and stay away from the internet. It was a good week.

Review: The Commitments!

So last night, I'm channel surfing between innings of the Dodger game, and I see a vaguely familiar looking guy crossing a dreary urban street. I think, "Is that the X-Files guy, you know, the guy who just made that movie?" (this is how my mind works sometimes), and then I think "No, that's not him, you're always mixing him up with the Twin Peaks guy, the guy that was in that famously bad Vegas/stripper/dancer movie. It's the Twin Peaks guy". Then I think, "Nah, it's not him - he's too skinny". Then I hear someone shout in a lyrical Dublin brouge, "Hey, Jimmy Rabbitte!" and I know where I am - this is The Commitments!!

I love this movie, and hadn't seen it in five or six years. It is the story of the rise and fall of a Dublin soul bad. The movie is smart and witty about music and dreams and hope. But what I love the most is the almost musical dialog of the characters. Much of this is due to the Irish accents which place an edge or embellishment on every phrase, but the words and sentences themselves are, as the characters would say, "...f***ing brilliant". (You do need to have a certain tolerance for the f-word to enjoy this film. It doesn't go into Scarface territory, but hey, if it's good enough for Dick Cheney...)

I don't know if Dubliners really talk like this outside of Roddy Doyle novels. But I hope so.

Update: More on the Bankruptcy Bill

The House will take up the Bankruptcy bill today, which has already passed the Senate. In connection with this, Christianity Today published a short update, typical of the magazine's POV, titled "Debt Buster: Christians Divided Over Federal Bankruptcy Bill".

Speaking against the bill is rising evangelical financial superstar Dave Ramsey (no relation) who calls the bill: "...one of the worst pieces of legislation to come out of Washington in years. The legislation is based on the lie that most people who file bankruptcy are deadbeats or con artists."

Willing to repeat the lie is Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, a publicly identified Christian, who claims (perhaps while crossing his fingers): "...the bill seeks to hold accountable those who have spent recklessly while preserving the principle of a fresh start for those who are in debt by no fault of their own."

Simply within the frame of the article, the "Christian division" is accounted for by the dueling quotes from Grassley and Ramsey, along with an apparently added on quote from a group of 75 Christian bankruptcy attorneys (which I've posted on before) who have previously opposed the bill as "unbiblical". But the unspoken subtext of the short note is the remarkable fact that any self-identified Evangelical such as Ramsey is willing to break lockstep with what the Republicans want. And a more obvious subtext is that "Christian" means "Evangelical" because most liberal Christian groups and Catholics have been vocally opposed to the measure, and they get no mention.

There is a further irony here in the use of Grassley as a spokesperson for the divide among Christians, in that the Senator has said that biblical principles cannot be applied here. In response to an open from the Christian attorneys cited above, Grassley said: "I can't listen to Christian lawyers because I would be imposing the Bible on a diverse population..."

As they say here in the blog world - "Heh".

Weekly Diary

Soccer. Last Saturday was opening day for MLS, and my team the LA Galaxy went down to an ignominious 3-0 defeat at the hands (or I should say, feet and heads) of the Columbus Crew. While the match was played in difficult weather conditions, it was primarily a reminder of just how ugly the beautiful game can become when a team cannot play with any cohesion. I hoping for much more as Chris and I join our friends with the LA Riot Squad as the Galaxy host Real Salt Lake in their home opener.

Unbelievable. This week, Senator John Cornyn of Texas rose in almost empty Senate chamber to discuss "judicial activism" and while he was at it, suggested that frustration over this activism was responsible for the recent killings of judges. I know that Cornyn is a conservative Republican representing a state from the former Confederacy, which seems to entitle one to a great deal of rhetorical latitude, but this is entirely over the line. His argument is exactly the same thing as saying, "Yes I deplore that the young woman was gang raped, but when these girls wear those short skirts, tensions are going to build up." This is absolutely shameful, but even more shameful has been then way that at least up to today, Cornyn has gotten away with it.

Sub-Sixty. My son Chris ran in his fourth track meet Thursday, and ran 59.6 for 400 meters, which is not bad for an 8th grader running his fourth race. We had been kind of hoping that he could run that fast by the end of the year, and so now he has had to expand his goals. His time lowered his previous best by four seconds. The best moment for me was not when he crossed the finish line first, but the look of joyous surprise on his face when they told him his time.

Good Thinking. Over at Obsidian Wings, Sebastian Holsclaw has a very thoughtful post about who best serves to reform a practice or an institution - its opponents or those who support it. He uses another post about gay marriage as a jumping off point to discuss union reform, and even gets in a little G.K. Chesterton. While I don't support his conclusion (I am unwilling to trust that the Administration has anything but narrowly partisan interests in "reforming" unions), I think it is a very worthy discussion, or more importantly, an excellent example of a good discussion.

JP II - Morti. So, the Pope died this week. I have been amazed at the way that the media and Protestants have all suddenly become Catholics. While the immediate aftermath of one's death should lead all of us to act with restraint, the press has been entirely uncritical in their analysis of John Paul II's life and legacy. I've also noticed the way in which Protestants have adopted internal titles for the Pope. I understand why Catholics would use exalted titles for the Pope, but I'm a little surprised the Vice-President of my university called him "His Holiness" while ordering flags flown at half mast, and the President (of my country) has called him the "Holy Father". Americans and Protestants used to have a thing about titles like this. I guess we don't anymore.

More on Wotija. The response to the Pope's death from the evangelical community has been one could say, selective. James Dobson and other Evangelical leaders), predictably, praised the pope for supporting his positions, while ignoring the many ways in which the Pope's explicit teaching and policies ran counter to those of the United States and to the preoccupations of American Evangelicals. (The Pope thought abortion and gay sex were bad, but he also thought unbridled capitalism, invading countries on false pretexts, and torturing people were bad, too) But while we may be giving the Pope's legacy a free ride, read this thoughtful call for the Popes to become heirs of Christ rather than successors to Caesar.

Update. My previously reported pretzel injury no longer hurts and looks as if it will heal without a scar. You may now relax.

This Week's Reading

This week, I read....

Nothing.

Well, not quite nothing. I did read half of a book review by Adam Gopnik (whom I really like) in the New Yorker on some French chef who killed himself, but that was all. I didn't' not want to finish the review, but I didn't want to either. I also have a new and untouched Atlantic Monthly staring back at me.

I plead: a writing project in process, student papers to read, family drama, and three Champions' League soccer matches on TV this week, of which the Milan derby is still waiting to be watched.

When Pretzels Attack!

This is the kind of thing, that when I read it on other people's blogs makes me a little crazy. But since this is about me, it's, uh, different.

Yesterday, I was eating a pretzel (a small pretzel-shaped pretzel for those interested) and bit off half of it. I held the other half in my lips and teeth, awaiting swallowing (something I can do very well, unlike some other people we know) and the second bite.

This meant a kind of hook shape from the pretzel half was resting on the outside of my upper lip, and when I bit down again, the edge of the pretzel cut my upper lip!!

So tonight, I have a small, visible wound on my upper lip.

That is all.

Weekly Diary

The week got off to a rough start with the US national soccer team being defeated by Mexico 2-1 on Easter Sunday. The US has never defeated Mexico in Mexico, and looks like we'll have to wait another four years for the chance. The sad part is that it seemed the US didn't even try to take the chance. Bruce Arena sent the Americans out in a defensive 4-5-1 formation and with a passive style, ignoring the pressing direct style with which the US has had so much success and which led to the historic 2-0 defeat of Mexico in the '02 World Cup. I think Arena was saving his team for Wednesday's match against Guatemala, which the US won soundly 2-0.

The Terri Schiavo died this week. As I mentioned before, I think the issue of withholding hydration and nutrition is difficult, but in its most basic sense, a feeding tube is just as "artificial" as, say, a ventilator. But the difficulty of the question was rarely reflected in the public discussion, much of which turned on the denial of the basic facts about this poor woman's brain - that is, that it was largely gone. I found it deeply frustrating to find pro-life people turning to the medical equivalents of Holocaust deniers, but found mild relief in this slapdown of one egregiously bad TV talking head.

On a "lighter" note, but really not, it seems that VR battles are drifting over into the "real" world, as in this case where one Chinese gamer killed another for stealing a "virtual sword".
(Via Crooked Timber).

My daughter Katie is very excited this week. Her new love is musical theater and she be performing this summer in Once on This Island and Alice in Wonderland. She just received the CD and score for Island, so now the singing will begin. I'm excited, not because I have any particular love for musical theater, but because I have a profound love for my daughter, and seeing her happy always makes me happy.

Cyberspace has been hopping over an op/ed in the New York Times by John Danforth, a former Republican Senator from Missouri and Ambassador to the UN, , decrying the takeover of the Republican party by Christian conservatives. (This from a man who is an ordained minister!). Key Quote:

"But in recent times, we Republicans have allowed this shared agenda to become secondary to the agenda of Christian conservatives. As a senator, I worried every day about the size of the federal deficit. I did not spend a single minute worrying about the effect of gays on the institution of marriage. Today it seems to be the other way around."

He thinks the Republicans have sold their souls to the Christians. I'm more worried about the reverse, given further evidence this week that many Christian leaders have sold their souls to the Republicans. The Bible is clear that we are to lay down our lives for Jesus and His Church. But are we required to lay down for Tom DeLay?

"Culture of Life" My... uh, Eye

Commenting earlier today on the death of Terri Schiavo, President Bush said:

"The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life".

This is absolutely unbelievable. Does the man really believe we are that stupid? His economic policies are designed around the idea that the weak are best helped by empowering the strong, but I guess one could try to argue that this really is the best way to help the poor. It's nonsense, but one could make the argument. But a "presumption in favor of life" when there are "doubts and questions"?

When our President was governor of Texas he was profoundly uninterested in the very real "doubts and questions" about many of the people his state executed. He even actively opposed an attempt to make Texas' clemency and review process more transparent and effective.

Mr. President, there was really no doubt that the upper part of Terri Schiavo's brain is gone, while there were profound doubts about the guilt of some of the men whose execution you authorized. Mr. President, does your cynicism know no bounds?

Weekly Diary

We euthanized our elderly and ill rabbit, Murray, this week. It was a hard choice. Actually, like most important things in life, it wasn't hard, at least in the way a calculus problem or climbing Mt. Whitney are hard. It was just hard to do, and sadly, we waited too long, prolonging his suffering to spare our feelings.

My former neighbor and award winning blogger Susan Kitchens gives us "Yet Another Reason to Hate SUV's", (not that I needed any help with this) at her blog 2020 Hindsight.

I'm on a week long fast from Mexican food to prepare myself for the US v. Mexico soccer match tomorrow. I am very wound up about this match. One of the best moments of my life was when the US defeated Mexico 2-0 during the World Cup in 2002. If we win tomorrow, this will be the first time the US have ever defeated Mexico in Mexico. May it be the first of many.

We attended a very creative Good Friday Service last night at Glendora Friends Church. The service combined ambient music, projected images, and Scripture reading. While I think the idea for the service was stronger than its execution, I was moved by the Bible reading - the Bible is always a good bet. It's a mystery to me that Christian worship does not make greater use of the brilliant, moving, and you know, divinely inspired words of the Bible, at least in comparison to the often pedestrian words of preachers and (especially) worship songs.

I am troubled almost beyond words about the Terri Schiavo situation, but as is increasingly the case, I am more troubled by the response of my fellow Christians and my national leaders. I'm not sure about the ethics of withdrawing hydration and nutrition, but I am certain that commitment to a cause does not give one the privilege of making up facts to support one's perspective. There are a gazillion links to this on the web, but this one from UCLA professor Mark Kleiman, and this one from Slate's Will Saletan have me most outraged.

Weekly Diary

Wonderful start. Just after church on Sunday, Wendy and I drove to Santa Barbara for the day. Like any trip to SB should, we began with lunch at La Super Rica, perhaps the greatest restaurant in the world. I don't know if it actually is the greatest but we think so, and so it works that way for us, something like that copper bracelet I wore when my wrist was hurting. Afterwards, we went to an outlet store and Wendy was able to find an amazing leather jacket for only $80! A little context is in order here. My wife rarely wants things - in fact, it's hard to get her to buy things when she shops. She is the opposite of what they call "high maintenance". Nevertheless, she has wanted a leather jacket for quite some time, but the $300/$400 price for a nice one always seemed too much. But here was a $400 jacket on sale for $80 and it was in perfect condition and just the right cut and style! I am so pleased for her.

Bloggies - This week was the fifth annual Weblog Awards. Now that I am a blogger, I felt compelled professionally (or to be more accurate, amateurishly) to see what else is out there. My favorite find - go read this now - is Overheard in New York. This blog is just what the title says it is: a listing of conversations and comments overheard by people in New York City. For instance:

Girl #1: It was me, her, and Kim Fines.
Girl #2: I thought Kim Fines was dead?
Girl #1: Yeah, she is.
Girl #2: She must be like 47 by now!

--Lincoln Center parking garage

Feeling Stressed? It seems we all are, or at least talk about ourselves this way. According to one study, 26% of Americans feel so stressed that it hampers their creativity. This is more than twice the rate of stress reported in Belgium, which sort of makes sense, but we also lead Columbia and Lebanon, where, you know, they have real reasons for stress.

Big Day - On Thursday, my son Chris competed in his first track meet, and loved it! Now if he would just grow his hair long and start a garage band, all my immediate wishes for him would be fulfilled!

Talk About "Powerful" Best Sellers - Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life has been a phenomenon. They sell them by the case at Costco, churches give 'em away, it's been on the NY Times Bestseller list for years. Any critiques of the book are brushed aside - read here (especially Gregg Koskela's excellent review) for one example. But by now I'm sure your aware that the book has the power (when served with pancakes) to make criminals repent and turn themselves in. Now that's a "powerful" book.

Mark of the Beast? - The government announced this week that the US annual trade deficit reached 666 billion dollars for 2004. Six-Sixty-Six! I don't know what to make of this. I know that Christians were supposed to believe that trade (and budget) deficits were bad when the Democrats controlled the Congress and White House, but they seem to be OK now, so I guess I can relax. But Six-Sixty-Six! How can that be a mere coincidence? What is God telling us?

Curious - The spellchecker for Blogger does not recognize "blog" and "blogger" as correctly spelled words. Hmm.

Just Getting Started

If you somehow stumbled onto this site from a trackback, or from me telling you about it, or from the Blogger system, hang on. There is more to come. My plan is to go public with this later this week, when I'll include a number of other posts.

Please check then and keep coming back.

Weekly Diary

My son Chris got off to a good start in his Pony League baseball season on Sunday, going 1-3 (including a beautiful bunt single) while reaching base in 4 of 5 plate appearances with no strike outs...

You think you know things, and then you discover again that what you don't know is a lot. Witness Laura Rozen's account on her blog War and Piece of a trip to the central Chinese city of Wuhan. She begins, "Until recently, I had never heard of this city, (me neither, ed) the capital of Hubei Province on the Yangtze River. But it has 7.9 million people, dwarfing even Manhattan in population."...

The Los Angeles Galaxy have finally been given an attractive shirt by Nike. Of course, it is the second shirt, which they will hardly ever wear, but you take what you can get...

James Wolcott has a hilarious take, "Gubernator Turns a Paler Shade of Chicken", on the reception Gov. Schwarzenegger has received on his fundraising trip from those flaming radicals... nurses. He called them out recently, and they have answered...

Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the Madrid train bombings. Connected to the date is the news (via Obsidian Wings) that an Islamic organization in Spain has issued a fatwa against Osama bin Landin, declaring him an apostate. I think this is a hopeful sign...

The whole family attended the United States' 3-0 victory over Columbia in a friendly match at Cal State Fullerton. It was a beautiful night for the beautiful game, marred only by poor preparation by the stadium staff before the match and a lack of bacon wrapped hotdogs after...

Orange County pastor and keeper of the blog Tabletalk, Craig Williams, has a very thoughtful post on prayer, "justing" and "candle snuffing". Take a look...

And even though I mentioned it below, make sure you take a look at both posts (here and here - with a third coming) of Fred Clark's series on the sin of usury at Slacktivist. This is the kind of thoughtful Christian engagement on policy issues which we need much, much more of...

God Doesn't Care About Your Money, Just Your...

Spend much time here, and you'll see me rant about the way many Christians willfully ignore biblical teaching on money and poverty, especially as it applies to government policy. The revisions to bankruptcy regulations currently under review in Congress are a case in point. The bills for revision, which is very bad for debtors and very good for credit card companies (and wealthy debtors), are being carried by a number of Senators who are publicly identified as Christians, including the legislation's primary sponsor, Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

Grassley has been challenged by a group of believers who wrote in a recent open letter...

"As Christian attorneys, we strongly believe that it was never God's intention to create a society where indebtedness was a crime or a badge of dishonor..."

The Senator doesn't dispute these attorneys'' biblical analysis. Instead, he says the Bible doesn't apply here:

"I can't listen to Christian lawyers because I would be imposing the Bible on a diverse population..."

So we can't "impose the Bible" on our country's "diverse population"? When did this start? I'm sure that Grassley will remember this the next time abortion comes up, or when legislation to regulate "public decency" on the airwaves is introduced, or when the teaching of evolution in the schools is discussed. Yeah right. To show you where his heart really is, Grassley has even supported legislation which would allow churches to maintain tax exempt status while openly campaigning for candidates and issues!

Narrowly, I agree with Senator Grassley. Christians shouldn't try to "impose" the Bible on our fellow citizens. I believe we should use persuasion and self-evident arguments to influence national policy, not coercion and threats. But I also believe we should stop selectively reading the Bible.

The biblical worldview is not a buffet cart from which one may chose as one likes. If you want to use the Bible's model for sexual behavior, then you're stuck with what the Bible has to say about money and poverty. If you want to follow the Bible and reject Darwinian biology, then you should also reject social Darwinism. If think the Bible calls us to be pro-life, make sure your concern extends beyond abortion, because the Bible's sure does.

So what's it going to be Senator? Bible or no? Are you in or are you out?

Update: Fred Clark at The Slacktivist has an excellent discussion of usury. The upshot? It's a sin. Go read it.

(Hat Tip to The Revealer)

Richard's Mouw's "Modest Proposal"

Richard Mouw, the President of Fuller Theological Seminary (Hey! I went there), recently weighed in on the issue of posting the Ten Commnadments in public places. Writing at Beliefnet, Mouw echoed novelist Kurt Vonnegut's idea that what we really ought to be doing is posting the Beatitudes - not the Ten Commandments, around the country. That's right, the Beatitudes - Jesus' series of "blessings" recorded in Matthew 5.

I like Dr. Mouw's take on this:

On a more positive note, it might be better for Christians—especially those of us who talk a lot about "moral values"—to let our fellow citizens know that we do care a lot about the "blessed" traits that Jesus sets forth in the Beatitudes: meekness, peaceableness, empathy with the poor and the grieving, a spirit of mercy—things of that sort. To be sure, we will be criticized for this, too, by the folks who don’t want us to inject any of our religious views into the public square. But if we are going to be scolded by those who resist religious teachings, let’s at least be scolded for promoting something that comes straight from Jesus.

As a Christian Old Testament/Hebrew teacher and scholar, I've wondered at conservative Christians' passion for the Ten Commandments, given their frequent disdain for the Old Testament. (Yeah, I know. The "Ten Commandments" have become a symbol in the culture wars - it's really not about the content). But I like the way that Mouw and Vonnegut take this impulse seriously. If we're going to insist that some sort of biblical text be posted in public places, let's get something from Jesus.

(Hat tip to Rob Asghar at Dime Store Guru).

This Week's Reading

I started this week with a simultaneously grouchy and buoyant interview with Eugene Peterson in the March issue of Christianity Today. I've admired Peterson's work since college, first through his A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, a book of reflections on the Psalms of Ascent which I plan to reread soon. It was rather refreshing to hear Peterson not even bother to give an once of credit to today’s consumer driven churches. He’s known as a writer on "spirituality", but he hates the term, saying:

"That it's a kind of specialized form of being a Christian, that you have to have some kind of in. It's elitist. Many people are attracted to it for the wrong reasons. Others are put off by it: 'I'm not spiritual. I like to go to football games or parties or pursue my career'. In fact, I try to avoid the word."

My favorite line came in response to a question about establishing “intimacy” with God. The use of this phrase bothered him too, since, you know, it’s not the one the Bible used, and so he got off this scorcher:

"All these words get so screwed up in our society. If intimacy means being open and honest and authentic, so I don't have veils, or I don't have to be defensive or in denial of who I am, that's wonderful. But in our culture, intimacy usually has sexual connotations, with some kind of completion. So I want intimacy because I want more out of life. Very seldom does it have the sense of sacrifice or giving or being vulnerable. Those are two different ways of being intimate. And in our American vocabulary intimacy usually has to do with getting something from the other. That just screws the whole thing up.

It's very dangerous to use the language of the culture to interpret the gospel. Our vocabulary has to be chastened and tested by revelation, by the Scriptures. We've got a pretty good vocabulary and syntax, and we'd better start paying attention to it because the way we grab words here and there to appeal to unbelievers is not very good."

As much as I appreciate this perspective, I do find it a bit ironic coming from the author/translator of the The Message, a wildly popular translation of the Bible which avoids using the, um, usual "vocabulary and syntax" we find in the Bible. Hmm.

Further on in the same issue of CT is a very hopeful and sometimes funny feature on the rise of evangelical Christianity in France by Agnieska Tennant. It is a truly amazing story – with the number of evangelical churches in France growing sevenfold since 1960. As in many other parts of the world, most of this growth has come through new charismatic churches. Interestingly, the Catholic churches, with their adoption of the evangelistic Alpha program, have moved forward, at least a little, while the traditional Reformed and Lutheran congregations stay stuck in reverse.

These new evangelical churches are often located in poor and lower-middle class neighborhoods, and often combine France’s multiple ethnicities in way rarely seen in French society outside of the national soccer team. The article points out that without intending to, these churches are providing an alternative and antidote to the Islamic fundamentalists who often control the poor ethnic neighborhoods of the big cities.

One barrier these churches currently face is the French people’s feelings toward our President. His public identification with his faith and his blurring of boundaries of matter of state and church horrify the traditionally secularist French. (Then again, I'm not secularist, and I'm horrified by some of the same things.) But even with their feelings about W aside, the French ideal of laicite makes for some humorous responses to conversion among younger people by their militantly secular parents. Tennant quotes the story of one father when he learned his daughter had gone on a church-sponsored weekend retreat: “Here I thought that she was just going off for a weekend with a new boyfriend! Then I find out it was to read the Bible!”

And amazingly, CT's book review section puts a bitch slap on Bruce Wilkinson's Beyond Jabez, a sequel to his last big hit. (Are we allowed to say that? No, not "bitch slap". Are we allowed to say that a popular Christian author has written a bad book? We'll see).

On Tuesday while eating nachos for lunch, I began wading through the 28 February New Yorker. (No links) The one big article I attempted was “"Nature’s Bioterrorist"” by Michael Spector. It's about the threat of new flu viruses from East Asia. This is scary stuff. The close proximity of ducks, geese, chickens, pigs and people in this part of the world is the perfect incubator for the next great pandemic of influenza. One of my earliest memories is going to see my father in an LA hospital when he almost died from the Hong Kong flu, the last pandemic in 1969. The new one could make that event, and even the great epidemic of 1918 look minor in comparison.

The piece moves between the two main groups of players in the situation: scientists and health workers and farmers. The scientists are very nervous, and the farmers are very sad. Most of these farmers have done their level best for both their animals and for health concerns, but now many have lost their entire flocks and with them, they have probably lost a way of life.

And in the lead Talk of the Town piece, Hendrick Hertzberg takes his shot at the “Jeff Gannon” scandal. “Gannon” (not his real name) is a Republican hack who was given frequent access to the White House Press room, and became notorious for asking softball questions to the President and his Press Secretary. Herztberg remembers the objectively more minor issues which became full-blown scandals during the Clinton administration, and counsels that we ought not to look for the same thing here. Without the opposition party holding at least one house of Congress, there is little chance of any Administration scandal getting traction. That is unless the Republicans, who like to brand themselves as the party of “integrity” decide to get some – but I’'m not holding my breath.

Halle Berry - Holla!

Last week, just before the Academy Awards, the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation gave out the Razzies for the worst films and performances of 2004. In this parallel universe of mediocrity, Catwoman was the runaway winner with four Razzies.

Amazingly, Halle Berry came to the event to accept her award for the title role in Catwoman. But it gets even better. According to this account:

She showed up to accept her Razzie carrying the Oscar she won in 2002 for Monster's Ball.

"They can't take this away from me, it's got my name on it!" she quipped. A raucous crowd cheered her on as she gave a stirring re-creation of her Academy Award acceptance speech, including tears.

She thanked everyone involved in Catwoman, a film she said took her from the top of her profession to the bottom.

"I want to thank Warner Brothers for casting me in this piece of (expletive deleted)," she said as she dragged her agent on stage and warned him "next time read the script first."

Indeed. Brava Halle!

(Thanks to Slate's "Today's Papers")

Missing Beltre

With the baseball season gearing up, I reaffirm my allegiance to the Dodgers - but it won't be easy this year. I grew up with the team, always looking forward to my next trip to the stadium, knowing all the players, living and dying with their results. Like many kids, I used to sneak a transistor radio into my bed to listen to games. In later years, when I was living in northern California, I used to drive to a spot a few miles from home where my car radio could find the nearest Dodger broadcast. I find something in Vin Scully's voice akin to what infants find in their mothers'.

I have been very disappointed by the Dodgers' latest off-season moves. For many years now, especially since the O'Malley's sold the team, my love and loyalty to the club have made me feel rather stupid in the face of their bumbling and underperforming. Last year, when the team finally played up to its capability, and finally showed some real love, I though that my loyalty had finally been rewarded. But then they let Adrian Beltre go to Seattle, with seemingly little effort on their part.

Today's LA Times features a Bill Plaschke interview with our departed third baseman. While the article is marred by Plaschke's typically maudlin style, it shows that Beltre is clearly disappointed by the turn of events. He wanted to remain a Dodger, and says he would have taken less money to do so.

Here's a key part of the article:

"The bottom line is, the Dodgers didn't want to sign me," he says. "If they had only talked to me and told me their plan, I would have signed for less money to stay there. I needed to hear it from them. We could have worked it out. But they never even talked to me."

The communication problems that were a virus to Paul DePodesta's first off-season as Dodger general manager were particularly destructive here.

Beltre says the last time he spoke to owner McCourt or DePodesta was during a Dodger Stadium meeting a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

"They both told me that I was their top priority, that they wanted me back," he says.

He hasn't heard from either man since.

He canceled a trip to the Dominican Republic to await their call but never heard.

He hung out in an Arcadia home he had purchased a couple of months earlier because he thought he would stay a Dodger but never heard.

He thought about how both men made a similar "priority" promise to him during the division-clinching celebration, but still he never heard.

He read where the Dodgers were negotiating with Corey Koskie to replace him … but still never heard.

According to Beltre, when the Dodgers finally did make an offer, they first had to be phoned several times and finally tracked down by agent Scott Boras, who warned that three other teams had made offers with 24-hour deadlines.

When somebody finally did call him back, it was not DePodesta but assistant general manager Kim Ng. She delivered an offer for almost $3 million less annually than the Mariners' $64-million offer and the Detroit Tigers' $90-million offer.

"But it wasn't about the money, and that offer would have been fine," Beltre says. "But they never explained their strategy to me. They never told me what they were doing. They never let me feel I was part of things."

I know that this is only Beltre's side of the story, but this makes me very, very sad. Well, I guess I am supposed to console myself with the thought that even though Jose Valentine barely hit his weight last year and has an iron glove, he did get quite a few walks.