I need the wisdom of Bweinh!ers…

09/17/2007, 2:39 pm -- by | 5 Comments

…to help me with my sermon this week.

It’s on Luke 16:1-13, the parable of the dishonest manager.

Any insights into the parable that readers/contributors have would be welcome, but I’m especially wondering if you think it’s fair to treat this parable as an allegory. I can’t find any reputable commentary that says it is, but it just seems so logical to me that when a master and a steward appear in a parable, it’s likely about God and religious leadership (see the parable of the vineyard, Mt 21:33-45).

To me, one of the messages of the parable is that wise Christians share the good news that the crushing debt the world thinks it owes God is much less onerous than it seems. The shrewd and generous Christian reflects the shrewdness of God, who is not so much about exacting punishments that fit the crime but showing deep love to His creation. So God commends us when we do this, because our “shrewdness” reflects his “shrewdness.” We are cunning and unfair in the same way God is cunning and unfair–always working quietly to give us more than we deserve.

Is this a fair reading of the text? What do you think?

The Council’s Ruling — Cell Phones

09/17/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | 5 Comments

This and every Monday, the Bweinh!tributors, having convened in secret for hours of reasoned debate and consideration, will issue a brief and binding ruling on an issue of great societal import.

This week’s question — When should a child get a cell phone?

Chloe delivers the ruling of the Council, joined by Connie, Steve and Tom:

When he or she can pay for it.

 

Mike offers this opinion, joined by MC-B and Connie:

Eighteen.

 

Job offers this opinion, joined by David:

Children should be allowed to have them by 14 (as a service to parents) with plans that don’t allow texting before 16.

 

Steve offers this opinion, joined by Josh:

The same time they can drive.

 

David offers this opinion, joined by Djere:

The third trimester.

 

Next week: What is the most useful tool?

Football Results (Week Two)

09/17/2007, 10:00 am -- by | No Comments

This year, the Bweinh!tributors shall compete each week by proxy on the mighty gridiron!

The second week’s results
Green Bay def. New York Giants; Detroit def. Minnesota; Dallas def. Miami
Jacksonville def. Atlanta; Chicago def. Kansas City

Bweinh!tributor This Week Overall GB
Djere 3-2 8-2
Connie 4-1 8-2
Job 0-0 4-1
Steve; Tom 4-1 7-3 1
Mike J; MC-B; David 4-1 6-4 2
Josh 3-2 5-5 3
Chloe 2-3 2-3 3.5

 

By category
Slight fans: 14-6 (.700)
Uninterested: 23-12 (.657)
Avid fans: 22-13 (.629)

Ask Bweinh! Poll — Bible Moment to Witness

09/17/2007, 8:30 am -- by | No Comments

Today’s Ask Bweinh! poll is brought to you by Bweinh.com — for the very best in rare coins and exotic regalia!

Originally discussed on Job’s blog, here we all answer which moments from the Bible we would most like to go back and personally witness.

Rank Moment Points
1. The Resurrection 30
2. Creation 16
3. Pentecost 15
4. Elijah with the prophets of Ba’al 12
5. The Tower of Babel 6
6-7 (tie) Saul’s conversion; Samson with the jawbone 5
8-14 (tie) Abraham speaks with God; the Transfiguration; the entire book of Acts; the Parable of the Two Sons; Jael and the tent peg; parting the Red Sea; walking on water 4
Other Peter’s release from prison; my salvation; Paul in Athens; Samson in the Philistine temple; the road to Emmaus; angel visitation to Mary; the Ten Commandments; Jericho; Jacob wrestles with an angel; 5000 are fed miraculously; 500,000 die in one battle; the swine leap into the lake; angels singing ‘Gloria’; Balaam’s talking donkey 1-3

Quote of the Day, 9/17/07

09/17/2007, 7:00 am -- by | 5 Comments

“Some tortures are physical
And some are mental,
But the one that is both
Is dental.”
— O. Nash

Clash of the Titans XLIX: Universal Health Care

09/14/2007, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

In this corner, against a national health care system, is Steve!

And in this corner, supporting it, is Connie!

No one wants to see people suffering in sickness without access to health care. I understand the terrible dilemmas faced by the uninsured poor in America, and I know that there really are people who cannot afford to go to the doctor. But this problem requires the right solution.

Before we think about changing things, let’s examine the current system, which does a lot more than some believe. Medicaid and Medicare do a lot to cover the expenses of the poor and elderly. In New York, Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus provide free or low-cost health care to ALL residents of the state who meet certain income requirements. A two-parent family with two children can make as much as $51,636 per year and still qualify for Child Health Plus, with only a $30 premium each month. Unfortunately, many eligible people don’t apply for these programs, perhaps because they don’t know about them. Other low-price medical insurance programs are available through various means (although many people — like me, for the last three years — make a conscious choice to go without), and free clinics exist in almost every city.

I might be convinced to support some sort of expansion of these programs, especially to cover the constantly mentioned (but rather rare) single adult stuck in a dead-end, low-wage job. But what I will not support is so-called “free” universal health care.

First, the government will handle health care inefficiently. There isn’t a single thing — not even national defense — that the government has proven able to handle without an increase in cost and a decrease in service. You’re sure you want to put them in charge of your newly diagnosed prostate cancer? For more effective results, we should be trying to privatize things, not nationalize them.

Second, such a policy won’t be free at all — its cost will simply be passed along in the form of much higher taxes. People like me, who get sick twice a year and are blessed with excellent health, will be required to enter this system even if we largely don’t need it, and will pay into the system vastly more than we get out of it. It’s FICA all over again, except on an even larger scale. Just what we all want: the government taking more money out of our paychecks.

Third, the repercussions of free universal health care would be disastrous to our system. Give something away and people value it less and use it more. Elective surgeries will become nearly impossible to get, involving long waits, obscene costs, or perhaps both — just like they already are overseas, regardless of Michael Moore’s lies. And if you think antibiotic resistance is bad now, just wait until everyone with a pulse gets a bottle of amoxicillin every time their nose runs.

Nationalizing health care would give everyone the same standard of care — a painfully low one. Let’s fix the current system to include the people who legitimately cannot afford the care they need, rather than overhauling something that’s really not that bad, destroying it in the process.

My reason for supporting universal health care is simple — people don’t just suffer without insurance coverage as Steve concedes, but they can die without proper treatment, and it’s being priced out of their range. Statistics say that employers and workers will pay an average of $12,106 for health insurance this year, and overall, the cost of employer-provided insurance has risen 78% since 2001, exceeding the 17% jump in inflation.

Yes, health care is available for the poor and lower middle class, but how many of the poor can actually get it? The sad truth is that most poor people are not able to take advantage of these programs. I know because it happened to my family. My father couldn’t hold a job, and I went to six different second grades in two states one year. Record keeping would have been a joke for us, but it’s very important in these programs. You must follow rigid recertification rules twice a year or you get kicked off. If your materials are misplaced by bureaucrats (mine were), you get kicked off. If you don’t have the skills to battle the bureaucracy, you’ll lose your coverage. All this red tape is a supreme waste of health care dollars. It has nothing to do with keeping people well.

But the middle class is probably having the hardest time. They could handle the paperwork and red tape; unfortunately, they just don’t qualify. And every single year their costs keep going up. What if they have a crisis in the meantime while they’re uninsured or under insured? They might lose their homes. I personally will spend 75% of my paycheck (nearly $10,000) paying for health care premiums this year, and that doesn’t include co-pays or prescriptions. My employer doesn’t provide any coverage help.

The difference between coverage and no coverage could be checking out that melanoma or going to the dentist before a tooth becomes abscessed. Steve suffered through only he knows how much pain this past spring and summer, waiting for dental coverage. Maybe he just didn’t want to spend the money, but many others just don’t have it to spend.

I personally suffered from a systemic infection last summer — a simple case of food poisoning spread to a bladder infection. I had health insurance, although I’m notorious for not going to the doctor; eventually I got checked because I was in a lot of pain. I was issued a bottle of pills and sent home. A couple hours later I hit the Urgent Care where I was called a wimp, and told to let the pills work and tough it out. A couple hours after that, I was in the ER and admitted to the ICU.

If I hadn’t had insurance I don’t think I would have tried the last step; I would have been worried about how I would pay the first two bills and trying to believe that the first two doctors knew what they were talking about. But I would have been wrong and I would have died. All that would have been left for my family would be filing the wrongful death suit…maybe that would have covered their insurance premiums for another few years. Some ironic consolation, eh?

I know the federal government doesn’t have a good track record in this area, but New York does. Their programs became a pilot for the nation because they worked so well. We just need to stop wasting money on red tape and develop a health care system that’s fair, affordable and available to all, not just those who can afford to buy a kidney whenever they want one.

{democracy:132}

Dateline: 2112, Washington, DC

09/14/2007, 9:45 am -- by | 2 Comments

President James Dobson IV today addressed a group of reporters about his ascension to the Presidency as the first Executor in the New Christian Era. Below are a few excerpts from his remarks.

How does this feel and did you ever imagine yourself being in this position?

Honestly, it feels great. Getting the Constitutional amendment passed to actually have the United States declared a Christian nation was a hard fought battle. We Christians in America have a lot to thank God for.

What will your first 100 days look like?

Our main focus will be giving the “Blue Laws Bill” more teeth. Right now Tithe Evasion, Sabbath Breaking and Unregistered Church Attendance are all still misdemeanors. It’s clear we need to make those things felonies to get the attention of some folks. Make no mistake — we’re not going after the guy who misses Sunday School with a cold or something — but we have people out there who haven’t been to Church in years, yet they get a 10-day jail sentence and they’re right back walking the streets again on Sunday morning. That has to stop.”

Will there be allowances for unregistered church attendance?

People have 12 registered denominational alliances representing 83,750 individual houses of worship scattered among the 52 states. They have plenty of choices without going underground.

Will you be taking on the NFL during your term?

Yes, the Sports-Entertainment Exemption Act is something we will examine closely. Everyone knows Sunday is the Sabbath. Letting big corporations skirt the issue is just hypocritical. When a kid can’t play a pick-up game in his yard on Sunday, why can rich owners flaunt the law and parade their teams around on national television?

What about the recent arrest of Senator Hagee in a Teleport restroom?

It’s disappointing. He is a direct descendant of one of the original signers of the Christian Manifesto II, and a Republican in good standing. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions, but if he wasn’t speaking in tongues in that stall, why did he plead guilty to Religious Misconduct? To make it go away? It looks bad.

Will you be reaching out to the Catholics?

Next question.

What about the “Seventh Day Question”?

*pausing, rustling of papers, whispered exchange with aide* Uh, most of the internment camps have been closed: *more hurried whispers* :.some of the camps have been closed: *confused noises* :it’s something we will have to look into and I’m not really prepared to answer that at this time. Let me say say this, they call themselves Christians, they live in a Christian nation, yet they are persistent in their opposition to observing the Sabbath on the right day. What more can I say?

Thank you gentlemen!

Note: I started writing this article on Tuesday, then on Wednesday I saw in USA TODAY that 55% of US citizens think the Constitution establishes a Christian nation. The percentage soars to 75% among those who identify themselves as evangelicals or Republicans. A Christian nation? Based on whose brand of Christianity? And what of dissenters? Hmmm:.

Joke of the Day, 9/14/07

09/14/2007, 7:00 am -- by | 9 Comments

This joke’s not funny. It’s cruel.

Last night I took Chloe to the airport and we got up to the baggage counter. Rather than saying her meticulously packed bags were all right, the checker looked very concerned. “You’re 20 kilos over,” she said. Almost 50 pounds.

Why is that? Because this airline (Air Transat, THE WORST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD) has some dinky-donky, whiny baby, slush-puppy, rule about the weight of bags, one that differs from any other major airline that flies across the ocean. So they tell us we’ll need to pay $7 (Canadian) per kilo. $140 Canadian, which used to be about 20 bucks, but now is well over $100.

We went over to the cashier, who worked for Air Transat, the worst airline in the world. “We bought this online and there was NO information about luggage weight.”

“Oh! Did you read the terms and conditions?”

“I’M A LAWYER! OF COURSE I READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS! There was nothing there about luggage weight!”

“Oh. Well, did you go to our website? It’s on our website (www.airtransat.com, home of the worst airline in the world).”

“Why on earth would I go to your website when I bought the ticket on another website and they were going to mail me the tickets? There’s nothing on this ticket or in any information I received (from Air Transat, the worst airline in the world about your limit on baggage weight!”

“Well, you have to confirm on our website!”

“So I have to go to your website, after I’ve bought and paid for a ticket somewhere else, and closely examine all the small print that might be there.”

“Sir, it’s not small print.”

“It’s on your front page then?”

“There’s a link on our front page to that information.”

She went on to lie to me about her own travel habits, but that’s neither here nor there. I want you to know that I just went to their pathetic website, and it took me five clicks and ten minutes to find their baggage policy — in small print — which, fortunately for them, did agree with the amounts they quoted us.

But if Air Transat (the worst airline in the world) thinks that it’s heard the end of this, they are wrong. Dead wrong.

I’m going to get my $140 (Canadian) worth.

Out-of-Context Chick Tract Excerpt

09/13/2007, 2:00 pm -- by | 1 Comment

©1984-2007 Chick Publications, Inc. Reprinted without permission as fair use (parody).

{democracy:131}

Ask Bweinh! Poll — Least Favorite Comic Strip

09/13/2007, 12:30 pm -- by | No Comments

Today’s Ask Bweinh! poll is brought to you by Air Transat, the worst airline in the world.

Here are our most-hated comic strips! (Our favorites are here.)

Rank Comic Points
1. Cathy 23
2. Curtis 14
3. Doonesbury 11
4-5 (tie) Prince Valiant; Peanuts 8
6-10 (tie) Marmaduke; Close To Home; Garfield; The Lockhorns; Brenda Starr 6
Other Mother Goose and Grimm; Hazel; The Phantom; Dennis the Menace; Frank and Ernest; Mutts; Mary Worth; Andy Capp; Family Circus; Hi and Lois; The Wizard of Id; Funky Winkerbean; Hagar the Horrible; The Born Loser; Marvin; Non Sequitur; Heart of the City; Heathcliff; Pickles 1-5

Gay Marriage Amendment

09/13/2007, 11:00 am -- by | 6 Comments

At the risk of boring you all into a gaping stupor, I’m going to write my second straight article on politics.

Ahhh…that’s better! Plenty of room now, probably just three of us reading this post. Enough space to spread out, relax — I could probably put my social security number in the next paragraph and be perfectly safe.

Now where was I?

When Job and I were discussing Romney the other day on the phone, he argued that all Romney’s positions were new inventions. “It was only four years ago,” Job said, “that he decided he was pro-life, in favor of a gay marriage amendment, and (other stereotypically conservative issue).”

But Job, I said, I’m not in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. That’s actually a point against Romney for me.

“What??”

Here’s why.

The Constitution is the fundamental and ultimate law in this nation. Its beautiful design makes change possible, but not easy. And at its heart is a commitment to federalism, the tension between a federal government most of its founders didn’t trust and the states, whose policies better reflect the political will of their inhabitants.

In general, and especially on contentious issues that affect the way people live, mandating one policy for all fifty states is a bad idea. Any time a politician makes a law without having to be accountable for its consequences, we’re all in danger. But that’s precisely what happens when congressmen from the fifty states enshrine their policy preferences on each and every one of us — and it’s exponentially worse when the culprits are unelected, unaccountable judges!

Take the abortion issue. The terrible Roe v Wade took much of the discretion in this area out of the hands of the states, establishing as a matter of constitutional law that a woman had the right to kill her unborn child without restriction during the first three months, and minimal restrictions during the next three. But this issue had no business ever being before the Supreme Court or Congress — it belongs to the states to determine (unless we are willing to define the unborn as “persons” constitutionally, an amendment I would support).

News flash: gay marriage is not killing anyone, even arguably. I can think of no reason to enshrine its prohibition in our most basic governing document. If the state of Vermont desires to let 20-odd homosexuals per year join hands and swear their devotion to each other, why should anyone outside that crazed Carabiner-loving state care? It might be a problem if the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution required every state to honor Vermont’s law as their own — but it doesn’t. The Supreme Court has identified a “public policy” exception to this rule; if gay marriage is against Alabama’s policies, it can happily ignore the dope-addled New Englanders.

If you don’t support gay marriage — and I don’t — you should get your state to ban it, either legislatively or constitutionally. But if we start trying to wedge our policy preferences into the Constitution, imposing them on everyone in every state, even those that are very different than our own, we will have no reason to complain when the other side does it to us. When it comes to a gay marriage “problem,” this cure is far more dangerous than the disease.

‘Sup Wit’ You, Chick Tract Answer?

09/13/2007, 9:30 am -- by | No Comments

Who is Cleo??


If you picked “The boy’s dog, who is at the pound,” you’re a winner!!

©1984-2007 Chick Publications, Inc. Reprinted without permission as fair use (parody).

Quote of the Day, 9/13/07

09/13/2007, 7:00 am -- by | No Comments

“If happiness truly consisted in physical ease and freedom from care, then the happiest individual would not be either a man or a woman; it would be, I think, an American cow.” — W. L. Phelps

Battle of the Bands XXVI

09/12/2007, 2:30 pm -- by | No Comments

Moving on are Inward Jew and Mere Man; here’s the next group from Romans!

{democracy:130}

The Body of Christ

09/12/2007, 1:15 pm -- by | 3 Comments

I’m always nervous when I return to a place I haven’t been in a while. Going back to Houghton tends to be more difficult because I know my friends and I have changed in leaps and bounds, and the girl I wanted to hang out with all the time last year could quite possibly have morphed into a moody or flaky stranger. If I no longer know the people I knew, what will I be left with?

This semester, I only returned for a few days because, as most of you know, I’m off to merry old England tomorrow. The first chapel I went to emphasized the body of Christ. God singled out my fear and reminded me that the body of Christ is everywhere. I don’t know the majority of the students at Houghton, and some of them aren’t part of the body of Christ, but looking around the chapel, I felt nearly the same thing that I do when I take Communion — this is my family, whether I know them well or not.

After chapel ended and I began the trek towards the campus center, globs of people around me, my fears of isolation completely vanished. From every side there were people saying, “Chloe! Where have you been?” or, “Chloe, how have I not seen you this whole time?” Right and left, people who knew I was going to London were doing double-takes at my presence on campus. And for the three and a half days that I’m here, I have only half a handful of hours left to myself because my friends want to catch up.

The intense love that comes with residing in the body of Christ always surprises me. My group of friends has showered me with that love these past few days, telling me about their assistance in the first ever purely civilian election in Sierra Leone, their trials in teaching inner-city Buffalo kids to read, their joy in spreading the Word of God all over the East Coast with Dayspring. I am amazed at what my friends are accomplishing for the Kingdom, and they share their excitement with me as if I had been right alongside them the whole summer.

I am so blessed to be part of this group of people, and even more blessed to call the body of Christ my family.

« Previous PageNext Page »