When you are wrong about the Bible, people get hurt. This is especially true when you are a preacher. This is even more severe when a teaching of the church is based on an erroneous interpretation of Scripture–Old Testament or New. History is full of examples. Let me cite a
The Clinton, IA, Democratic Party held its annual Labor Day picnic at the Eagle Point Park lodge this Sunday, September 6, 2015. Local labor leaders and politicians were in abundance. I attended in my clerical attire, as a reminder that, since Pope Leo XIII, the Roman Catholic Church has supported
The State of Illinois is in poor fiscal shape; there’s no disagreement about that. The State needs about $4 billion dollars more than it is expected to take in this year. Had Governor Bruce Rauner agreed to extend the expired income tax increase, the State would only be short $1
For too long, we have looked the other way and have been “politically correct,” by not being honest about the Confederate flag. We have not wanted to hurt others’ feelings. Perhaps we thought the problem would eventually go away. It hasn’t gone away–any more than the racism it represents. One
It seems like the daily news regularly reports that some jihadi somewhere blows himself/herself up killing countless others in the name of God and their religion. Jihadi, or jihadist, refers to a person who believes that an Islamic State governing the entire community of Muslims must be created, and that
We all know people who are a pain. We even know groups of people who are a pain. What we don’t know is necessarily how to get rid of the pain. However, the Mexican Government has the solution. Mysteriously, the people who are a pain in the neck simply disappear.
This essay is by Danny Tyree. You’ve probably heard the hullabaloo about this year’s “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue. The average American woman wears a size 14, but SI is just now acknowledging such “plus-size” women. [It allowed] model Ashley Graham (size 14) into a PAID ADVERTISEMENT and Australian model Robyn
This essay is by Danny Tyree. Are you an unsung hero? Do those you encounter not appreciate the “real” you? Must you always have the last word? Then you might be interested in the new trend spotted by USA Today: self-penned obituaries, also known as “selfie obits” or “autobituaries.” As
Senate Republicans like Lindsey Graham have been advocating that President Barack Obama send arms to the “Free Syrian Army,” refusing to admit that there is no such thing as a “Free Syrian Army,” although it sounds good. Now these chicken-hawks are pressuring the President to send arms to the new
Editor’s note: This essay was submitted by Travis Akin, Executive Director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch. Governor Bruce Rauner’s call for reasonable lawsuit reforms in his recent State of the State address [on Wednesday, February 4, 2015,] is a significant step forward in bringing Illinois’ economy back and stopping the
Editor’s note: Prior to his election, Gov. Bruce Rauner was the chairman a private equity firm based in Chicago, IL. His income tax returns show he earned $108 million between 2010 and 2012. This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. With its deep cuts to
A panel of experts–people knowledgeable about the area, its people, and its problems–is very much in agreement that a military solution, by itself, to the challenge of ISIS, a.k.a. ISIL, is no solution at all. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a terrorist jihadist rebel group. A
I have always believed that with very few exceptions, the public’s business should be transacted in public. The very few exceptions are when doing so would result in damage to the public. For instance, if a public body is wanting to acquire land for a park, the owners could unreasonably
Editor’s note: This panel from a 4th century sarcophagus is one of the earliest Nativity images. Christmas as a holiday and, as a Christian feast day, is a time of giving, of gift exchanges, and parties. It is also a time when fund raisers badger everyone they think they can
This has been in the news time and time again. It is a political issue with a lot of money riding on it. How much money? That’s hard to tell. For starters, TransCanada Corporation is a major North American energy company based in Calgary, Alberta, developing and operating energy infrastructure