axegrinder

Fame

2010-05-18T14:22:00.001-05:00

**
"The man whose speech does not match his actions will be forgotten."
- Unknown

For Some Questions, Motives Are Irrelevant

2010-04-20T12:19:00.002-05:00

**
When in debate, please don't respond to a challenge with "But why would they do that?" That is irrelevant when it comes to the truth or falsity of a position, the harm or benefit of an action.

I find this response regularly comes up, especially when talking about politics. It is not that important WHY George W Bush or Barak Obama does something. Maybe Bush is incompetent. Maybe Obama is wittingly pursuing a socialist agenda. Maybe not. Either way, we should judge their ideas and actions, as well as the results. Leave the motives to God. The same goes for global warming, gay marriage, the economy, war, etc, etc.

I'd like to extend this point to say something about conspiracy theories. Listen, nothing would surprise me. Is it possible that world leaders have secret societies? Sure, I guess that's possible. However, I don't need to know these usually unprovable things in order to know that certain of their actions have negative results.

Try not to get sucked into the distractions that bombard you if you watch TV news and pundits or listen to them on the radio. Ask "is the action good?" not "is it patriotic?"

Holy Week Greetings

2010-04-01T14:19:00.002-05:00

**
I would like to offer all those who aspire to be Holy Fools my warm regards and sincere prayers on your behalf. May you find yourselves in the embrace of the Trinity this Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

Do You Need Glasses?

2010-03-02T13:53:00.002-06:00

**
I found out about a very cool company today:

Warby Parker

They mail you five frames for free to try.

Frames and prescription lenses are $95.

For every pair sold, they give a pair away through charity.

Sounds like a good company, and I'm in need of glasses.

Debate of Texas Republican Candidates for Governor

2010-01-22T11:57:00.004-06:00

**
Go watch Debra Medina posterize Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

I went to hear Medina speak a few months ago. I like her.

Debra Medina on
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
Her Main Site

Have I just committed my first act of campaigning?

Free your mind. The question is not, "Does she have a chance to win?" The ethic for voting is not the "lesser of two evils."

Fr. Tobias on God's Will

2010-01-13T09:20:00.003-06:00

**

The conclusion from here:

"To escape this conundrum, I would rather say that the standard of stewardship and equality, and the clarion of prophecy from which all true Prophets speak, is theosis.

"We used to know, in the good old Orthodox days when doctrine still mattered, and praxis still flowed from apostolic liturgy, that God's Will is simply deification. It is not a particular career or whether you should move in with the pygmies. It is not how much you should give to a fund drive or who you should marry. Or, as had been explained to me on one particularly depressing occasion, just which stock option to pick up.

"These are all questions that pertain to augury, not God's Will.

"God's Will is for you and for me to participate in Triune Fellowship, in His own Divine Nature, to be transformed and inducted into the Healing Light of His Uncreated Energy.

"To see this, and nothing less, and to recognize every creature's destiny therein, and even the vectors of politics, is the work of Prophecy. No less."

That, my friends, is good preaching. Be free. One activity in becoming more like Christ is choosing between one or more good options. We must exercise our minds in weighing outcomes of choices. Ask questions, seek counsel from the wise, pray with your spouse, receive the bread and wine. There is no "perfect will of God" other than becoming like Christ. There are a lot of places where that can happen.

Louis Carabini - Inclined to Liberty

2009-12-14T20:52:00.000-06:00

**
What a great little book. 100 pages. Free .pdf here. Solid, simple primer on libertarianism. Chapters are 2-4 pages a piece.

An excerpt from Chapter 9 "The False Lure of Democracy:"

The very essence of democracy encourages everyone to express opinions about human activities that are none of their business. There are few days that someone doesn’t ask me what I think that “we” (the royal “we”) should “do” about this or that individual, organization, or group activity that is clearly neither my business nor theirs. It is not the answers to such questions that should give us concern; the mere asking has become so commonplace— and with such a sense of democratic pride and entitlement— that today nearly every aspect of human activity is considered public domain.

In a democracy, each of us has license to prescribe for others how to live their lives; run their businesses; whom they may hire; what wages they may pay; what prices they may charge; what, where, when, and how much they may buy or sell; what they may teach; what and where they may smoke, drink, and eat; what they may plant; what medicines they may take; what houses they may build and where they may build them; what they may say; how and where they may practice their religion (even what religion); where they may go; where they may live; how they may die; with whom and how they may engage in sex; whom they may marry and with whom they may associate. On and on this intrusion goes, with more “dos” and “don’ts” added every day.

...

A democratic state will naturally gravitate to an ever-greater “tragedy of the commons,” in which citizens try to get a bigger share of the funds acquired by the State. Since those funds are now commonly owned, everyone has a right to claim a share. Even free riders become just as deserving of shares as do society’s contributors. Instead of being ostracized, free riders are now entitled to free rides. These entitlements are further justified by their advocates declaring them as “rights” (active rights), implying they have equal footing with natural rights (passive, or inalienable rights). An active right is a claim upon the life of another, while a natural right obligates others to refrain from any such claims. Therefore, a claimant of a right to a free ride, such as free health care, is a disclaimer of the natural, inalienable rights of the person upon whom the claim is made. Frédéric Bastiat (1801–1850), the famous French political economist, described the state as the great fiction by which everybody tries to live at the expense of everybody else.

Download it.

God Loves Us

2009-12-03T10:00:00.003-06:00

**
... and has a wonderful plan for our tastebuds.

When I was in Atlanta over Thanksgiving, I visited the parents of my best friend from high school. My friend, his 14-month-old daughter and I had a great time chewing the fat and catching up with his parents. At one point I commented on the fact that there was not a fresh pound cake under the glass in the kitchen. Those pound cakes were a fixture in my high school and college days. I have not had Mrs. C's pound cake in many years. I needed me some pound cake.

Despite a looming hairdresser appointment, Mrs. C whipped up a cake and put it in the oven. She instructed me on how to tend to it before her return. She left.

My friend and I took his daughter for a walk around the neighborhood. It was surreal to be wheeling a baby stroller along the same streets we skulked around after sneaking out of his parents' house in the middle of the night over two decades ago. Typically, we got lost in conversation. We were deciding on whether or not to make another loop around the block when I remembered the cake in the oven.

We hotfooted it back to the house. I was convinced we would be too late. The buzzer was screaming at us as we burst through the door. I flung open the oven door to discover the cake still bubbling. We were in time. I shed a tear of gratitude in recognition that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of Lights, in whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.

I had two pieces.

PS If we're friends on Facebook, and you want to see how cute my friend's child is, there's a pic of us tagged w/ my name.

Save Me, OED

2009-11-13T06:07:00.002-06:00

**
I was describing a restaurant the other day and used the phrase "it was nothing to write home about" ... in an email to my mom.

In other news -

This morning, the words "I could eats me a Coke right now" presented themselves in that order in my mind when I opened the refrigerator at work and saw the red and white cans.

Books for Laity - NT Wright and Bible Study

2009-10-08T08:29:00.000-05:00

**
I attended a class at church Tuesday night. As with most classes I attend at church, I came away with a variety of thoughts about how the laity might be served in their participation in the life of the Trinity. One way: book suggestions.

It is a regular occurrence that I want to read about a topic and do not immediately know what book to start with. Fortunately, I've had some helpful training in research, so I can usually make some sort of progress. However, I can well remember times, especially prior to seminary, when I cast about, frustrated, looking for the right book on a topic of interest. Bookstores (Christian and otherwise) are RARELY helpful (thank God for the exceptions) and will usually put one on a false scent.

It is the Church's job to teach the people of God. One aspect of that instruction is pointing people to books that will benefit them. God bless the clergy who serve their people in this regard.

I'd like to offer book recommendations from time to time, especially tailored to lay people who are trying to learn the faith and sometimes feel lost when trying to find the right book. I'm going to start by pointing you to a series of Bible-study books by Bishop NT (Tom) Wright, the Canon Theologian of the Church of England. The series is the "For Everyone" series, as in "Matthew for Everyone," "Paul for Everyone," "Acts for Everyone." You will be able to order these books from anyone. Why not find a local bookstore where you can possibly influence what they put on the shelves? There's also a subscription service with a discount and free shipping that I am considering for myself.

Bp. Wright writes to both academics and laity. When he writes academically, he usually publishes as NT Wright. When he writes for laity, he usually publishes as Tom Wright. An example of his academic writing would be "Jesus and the Victory of God." An example of his popular/lay-oriented writing is "Simply Christian."

I have benefited greatly from Bp Wright. I read "Jesus and the Victory of God" in a Christology class and was able to attend a conference in Memphis where he spoke. I was with a small group of students who joined him for breakfast at Denny's before one of his lectures. When I was participating in a study of Romans this past spring, Bp Wright's material was the most helpful I found. I'll link to those materials in a separate post.

"ALMIGHTY God, our Heavenly Father, who hast committed to thy Holy Church the care and nurture of thy children; Enlighten with thy wisdom those who teach and those who learn; that, rejoicing in the knowledge of thy truth, they may worship thee and serve thee from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Ron Paul on the Central Bank and War

2009-09-25T07:22:00.002-05:00

**
"Imagine an irresponsible teenager with an unlimited line of credit. The parents, teachers, pastors, and authorities in his life are ultimately powerless to change his habits. Now imagine that teenager armed to the teeth and also immune even from the rule of law. That is what we have with a government backed by a central bank."

- Ron Paul "End the Fed" chapter 4 p67

Read chapter 2 of "End the Fed."

Some Timely Words

2009-09-15T07:50:00.002-05:00

**
"What we need is not fewer people, but more room between them, where those who would stand on their own feet, could, and those who won't, might have to. Then the welfare, the relief, the compensation, instead of being nationally sponsored cash prizes for idleness and ineptitude, could go where the old independent uncompromising fathers themselves would have intended it and blessed it."

- William Faulkner "The Duty to Be Free" (1953)

*

"A bad policy does not become good because worse things are possible."

- David Gordon in a review of Tom DiLorenzo's "The Real Lincoln"

Faith

2009-08-31T06:43:00.002-05:00

**
"Therefore, O Lord, when all things common seem,
When all is dust, and self the centre clod,
When grandeur is a hopeless, foolish dream,
And anxious care more reasonable than God,—
Out of the ashes I will call to thee—
In spite of dead distrust call earnestly:—
Oh thou who livest, call, then answer dying me."

- George MacDonald "Diary of an Old Soul" (August 31)

Comfort

2009-08-13T06:28:00.003-05:00

**
"Thou art the truth, the life. Thou, Lord, wilt see
To every question that perplexes me.
I am thy being; and my dignity
Is written with my name down in thy book;
Thou wilt care for it. Never shall I think
Of anything that thou mightst overlook:—
In faith-born triumph at thy feet I sink."

- George MacDonald "Diary of an Old Soul" (entry for August 13)

1st Amendment

2009-08-05T09:30:00.001-05:00

**
"The function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger."

- Justice William O. Douglas (quoted here)

An Update on Gus

2009-07-27T15:09:00.003-05:00

**
In April, I posted a quote from the Ochlophobist. The situation that prompted his thoughts was an accident involving the son of some of his friends.

Och shared an update on Gus recently.

DB Hart on Suffering

2009-07-22T08:18:00.000-05:00

**
Here are links to an exchange between David Bentley Hart and others on suffering after the horrible tsunami in 2004. I think you will find this to be a helpful example of theological dialogue, both the good and the bad.

I have thought about suffering consistently over the past few years. I find myself more and more embracing the Eastern Orthodox view as represented by Hart. I also find myself more and more weary of the embarrassing theodicies extant within much of Christendom.

Hart's Article in the WSJ Opinion Journal

William Luse and DB Hart - 1st Exchange, 2nd Exchange

Anthony Esolen and DB Hart - 1st Exchange

Esolen on Christ's Wounds and Dostoevsky

Hart and Esolen - 2nd Exchange, 3rd Exchange

William Reichert brings up Job.

Hart responds.

Hart's Last Word

Why Is Idolatry Forbidden?

2009-05-07T20:15:00.002-05:00

**
"everyone worships — everyone has a god."
- a friend

I am concerned about how worship is commonly defined. Worship is often defined as “our response to what God has done” or something to that effect. Worship is not primarily a response. It is a participation. Worship does not take place if it originates in us, even if the act is a response to what we know about God. I know that most Christians would agree with what I am saying, but the language we use when speaking of worship indicates what our thoughts are about the subject.

Having drilled that point, I'd like to say something about worship as participation (reception and offering) as it relates to idolatry.

Might the prohibition against worshiping idols be connected to the fact that worship involves as much receiving (actually more) as it does giving? Worship is participation in the life of the Trinity and depends on our inclusion via the Incarnation. When we worship, we are receiving from God. Worship enables all of life to be lived, that is, to be a man fully alive, which is the glory of God, to paraphrase St. Irenaeus.

Therefore, if one worships an idol, then that one does not receive anything, because idols cannot see, hear, speak, act. An idol is not really real or truly true. An idol does not exist independently from the worshiper. Is it going to far to say that idolatry is staring into the abyss and attempting to invest it with meaning? "When you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares back at you" (Nietzsche). Staring into nothingness is the way to confusion, frustration and, finally, insanity.

When one worships in the Logos, the only true rationality and logic, then one is enabled to think true thoughts. It is possible for revelation to be received. When one worships an idol, that is, something invested with meaning by himself, then a type of circular reasoning incurs within a closed system. There is no connection with something outside the worshiper. The result is the stifling of life - a frustrated ability to meaningfully observe, ask questions, come to conclusions, know metaphysical truth, apply scientific knowledge.

Risen

2009-04-12T08:39:00.001-05:00

**

"He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:6)
All our hopes are vindicated.

Life from death.
Victory from defeat.
Holiness from the abyss.

Hallelujah.

Light

2009-04-11T18:30:00.001-05:00

**

Corruption.
Fallenness.
Evil.
Death.

Healed.
Transformed.
Displaced.
Overthrown.

"The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:5)

Prostrate

2009-04-10T18:20:00.001-05:00

**

I cannot sink myself deeply enough into the dust before the Holy Cross.

Stripped

2009-04-09T18:10:00.001-05:00

**

The place of gift and sacrifice. The place of despair and hope. Tonight, the place is only severe.

The Ochlophobist on Suffering

2009-04-04T19:26:00.003-05:00

**
"I think the new atheists are largely right with regard to the group psychosis and delusion surrounding popular Christianities. Any Christianity that has an answer for human suffering, or has a program to "deal" with human suffering, is worse than worthless. If that is Christianity, the ochlocrats can have it - then give me Nietzsche, give me Cioran, give me a bottle of Cutty Sark that will not end until I lay in the insatiable dirt.

"There is no answer to human suffering. There is no program which will end or substantially mitigate the inevitability of human suffering. Even in our decadent age of program after gratuitous program people find themselves immersed in hurt, loneliness, depression, woundedness - the course of a human life often enough brutal and unrelentingly harsh for many, even with our happy pills and TVs and internet relating and other forms of technocratic sedative. There is only, with regard to human suffering, a consummate Image, before which it is right to bow down and worship."

Go read. And pray for Gus.

Thanks, O.

The Novels of Charles Williams

2009-03-17T18:50:00.002-05:00

**
Here's a link to downloadable versions of Charles Williams's novels.

Wikipedia entry for Charles Williams

An essay on his novels

He was influential on CS Lewis and many others. If had a few minutes more right now I would say more. Go read.

Ron Paul - "What If ... ?"

2009-03-01T20:14:00.002-06:00