Seeing the Pirates and Joe Mauer

The NBA is nothing compared to Major League Baseball. If you watched the conference finals, you will now understand that the NBA is rigged or at least it is attempted. LeBron got every call he could possibly get and the Lakers did as well. That along with the Puppet Kobe and Puppet LeBron commercials should tell you who the NBA tried to put in the finals. The Nuggets beat LA in Game 1, 3, 4, and 5. Thanks to poor officiating they were only able to win Game 4. Oddly LA won Game 2, but the refs gave that one to the Nuggets. If the NBA is not rigged then the refs are the single most incompetent group of people on the planet. No reason to ever watch the NBA again.

But the main point of the post is to talk about the Pittsburgh Pirates. I will have the pleasure of seeing them in action this year as they come to Minnesota, and I am going to attend a game. This means I will also probably get to see the greatest player in the game today, Joe Mauer, catcher for the Twins. Mauer missed most of April with an injury, but hit .414 in May with 11 homers and 32 RBIs (.500 OBA and .848 Slug for those interested). He was the first catcher to ever lead the American League in Batting Average a couple of years ago and quietly last year he did it again. I have little doubt that he will win another batting title this year.

But the Pirates are still the main attraction. They are my pick to win back to back World Series titles starting next year. They will break .500 this year. They are five games below .500 right now, but I am not worried. They have spent all but a few games without their biggest bat, Ryan Doumit. They have also had their closer miss a few games and are still without their 8th inning guy, Tyler Yates. But the main reason to be excited about the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates is Greg Smith. Who is Greg Smith? Well, he is the front office guy in charge of the Pirates Draft. They Pirates had the best draft in the majors last year. They picked Pedro Alvarez and managed to sign him despite lots of dirty tricks by his agent. They signed 6 of their top 10 picks. Including the steal of the draft, Robbie Grossman, a high school outfielder in the 6th round. Grossman was a top two or three round talent that people avoided because he had committed to Texas and seemed adamant. The Pirates drafted him anyway and then gave him a one million dollar signing bonus, which is unheard of for a 6th round pick and for the Pirates who are notoriously cheap. Grossman is now playing for the Class A West Virginia Power. He has a .710 OPS and is 16 out of 18 in the stolen base department. Not bad for a kid right out of high school. The Pirates draft fourth in this year’s draft and get a complementary pick because they failed to sign their second round pick last year.

Another reason is the great trades the Pirates pulled off last year. They did have to lose Xavier Nady and Jason Bay plus some relievers, but they got back Jose Tabata from the Yankees, who will probably arrive in the Pittsburgh outfield in 2011 giving the Pirates great options with future Free Agents like Nate McClouth. Add to that Brian Morris who was the center piece of the Bay-Rameriez deal. Morris ought to be in the rotation by 2011. And after all of the draft day busts from past years, these sorts of deals are important. The previous front office guys drafted lots of pitchers who almost all failed. Everyone from Kris Benson to VanBenschoten to 2007’s Daniel Moskos (who might be an alright closer, but does not look so good as a started). This would explain why Greg Smith got the reigns of the draft last year and he looks good at it. Add to that the amazing re-emergence of Brad Lincoln (2006 first round draft pick who had Tommy John surgery the minute he pitched for the Pirates in the minors). Lincoln is on track to be part of the 2011 rotation as well.

This is all good news for the Pirates. By the end of this year we will get a glimpse of Andrew McCutchen, which will give the Pirates an amazing outfield. Steven Pierce will probably be a September call up for even more depth there or to replace a hopefully traded Adam LaRoche at first. By the end of 2010 we will see Pedro Alvarez at third and maybe Brad Lincoln in the rotation. That will help us fill the hole at third and get rid of Ian Snell, who is now officially in my doghouse for his inability to get anyone out in the first two innings and refusal to throw inside. 2011 will bring Morris and Tabata and the Pirates are looking good to be competitive for years to come.

History of Conservatism: How every party has abandoned the conservative

The first thing one must do in an undertaking of this nature is define his terms. What exactly is a conservative? The Free Online Dictionary defines conservative as “favoring traditional views and values:; tending to oppose change.” This is a fair enough definition, but what exactly does it mean to have a traditional view of government since we are talking about conservatives in government? There are two main philosophies of government. One is Natural Law, which is the idea that the people get their rights from their Creator or nature and the government is there to protect those rights and follow the Natural Law. The second view is Positivism, which states that the government gives you your rights. I do not think it necessary to prove the Natural Law view is the one that is the traditional view. The Magna Charta was a Natural Law document so what the American Colonists were fighting for in the American Revolution was their Natural Rights. This is exactly what the opening of the Declaration of Independence teaches us. We have inalienable rights from our creator. Thus, the American Revolution was about the protection of Natural Rights. So the traditional view in American government and politics is Natural Law. The tending to oppose change part of conservatism is easy enough in America. A conservative is one then who wishes to stick to the constitution and not change it or the ways we govern. Thus, the people that are so often called ‘strict constructionists’ and ‘originalists’ in their view of the constitution then are conservatives. However, one might notice from the definition of conservative that they can be slow to act. They tend to oppose change and thus are better at opposing plans and action than actually coming up with a positive plan on how to proceed. This will be easily seen as we trace the history of conservatism in America and how often it is used and then betrayed by the political parties.

It should be noted up front as well that the Conservatives are the majority. I think the historical survey will bear that out in full. But seeing as this will be a highly debated point, I will return to it in a later chapter.

This history of the Conservative movement in America then is one riddled with failure, but they bring only success to the party they support. This may seem like a contradiction, but I assure it is not. Conservatives themselves fail more often than not to stop the growth of government, and the invention of new ways to govern outside of the Constitution. They have failed to keep Natural Law as the basis for our society, and they have failed to control the organs of government for all, but extremely short periods of time. Yet, the support and the votes of the conservatives have brought success to the party that currently woos the conservative vote. Again the historical survey will bring this more the forefront, but it needs to be said now. It needs to be said now because we need to understand that the Conservative movement is not attached to a particular party. Conservative and Republican are not synonyms. In fact the Republican Party was founded to be against the Conservatives in America. The Conservatives spent a long time in the Democratic Party, but again, the Democratic Party was founded ton the back of a man who was only slightly conservative, and thus it was not a party for the Conservatives.

Why then do the Conservatives win their party elections, but not ever control the parties themselves? This fundamental question is answered again in the definition of conservative. Conservatives do not want power, they want stability. Political parties are founded to get and keep power, and dare I say it, even grow their own power. Conservatives do not wish to see a growth in power and are not willing to do whatever it takes to get the power. Thus, they cannot control a political party. They will not be able take the reigns of power and keep them because their message is usually “no”. It is hard to win people over to “no”. But it is easy to win people over to “I will give you money if you are poor” or “I will give you money not to grow corn.” That is a much easier sell. Add in the fact that Conservatives argue for and believe in Natural Law, and their goose is cooked. Believing in natural law means their ethical standards are fixed. They cannot change. The non-conservatives whether we call them liberals or progressives or whatever are not bound by traditional morals. Sure, some believe in them and follow them, but the party or group that holds to Postivism is by definition not bound by morals. They are able to change morality in order to serve their needs. A good example of this is all of the lying that is now so common in politics. How often does someone come out and say “I did not have sex with that woman” and it turns out they did. Or say “I was not briefed on that issue”, and they were. Lying is a means to an end, not a violation of a moral code. That is why so many people in power have no problem with cheating on taxes because they do not believe in moral codes, they believe in changing codes. Which also means they believe that ethical standards do not apply to them. Only governmental standards apply to them, and sometimes those do not apply either because those standards can be changed.

The goal of this endeavor is to show that Conservatism is a major force in America, indeed a necessary force. But also to show the flaws in the Conservative movement and it current way of operating. Historical awareness is important in anything, and judging from how loosely the word "conservative" is thrown around these days, a good dose of historical awareness is necessary. This I hope to accomplish in upcoming posts.

Seven Pounds Movie Review

I just finished watching Seven Pounds with Will Smith. It is a good movie. It is yet another Will Smith movie with very Christological references and themes. It is not quite as good as I am Legend with Will Smith, but mainly because I thought some of the early filmography of Seven Pounds was a little weak and/or confusing. But, other than that minor complaint, the movie is excellent. I don’t want to give too much away, but even the trailers let you know that it is a movie about a man giving gifts to others. Christ also gives gifts to men. How the gifts are given is important and the three main people focused on in this movie are all very biblically explained. One receives a new life. That phraseology is even used in the movie. Sight is also given to the blind. Scriptural references find their way into that exchange as well including one very obvious “slow to anger” comment. The third receives a new heart, and it is hard to imagine a more scriptural picture than that. I highly recommend this movie. Like I said, the beginning is a little slow because of the filming, but stick with it. It is a gripping movie that has a good message. Well done art that can be enjoyed by all above the age of 13.

Did you know

Here is something you didn’t hear on the news. Many pro-lifers were arrested for peacefully protesting Notre Dame’s awarding an honorary doctorate to President Obama. Among those arrested was a Mrs. Norma McCorvey, better known as “Roe” from Roe v Wade. She was arrested as an anti-abortion protester.

Forgotten Reformer: Jan Laski

I just returned from the RCUS Synod where we heard Rev. Eric Kayayan give a few talks about Calvin in honor of the 500th anniversary of his birth. He did a good job talking about Calvin’s life and how that contributed to his life and work. However, it reminded me of my year long task to speak more of the forgotten reformers. Calvin was a great reformer, but he was primarily a ‘man of letters’ as they were called back then. He did preach the gospel without a doubt, and he organized Geneva, but his main influence is through his written work. He was not a foot solider of the reformation. Again, I have nothing against Calvin, I just think some of the other guys need to get more publicity.

One of those men is Jan Laski. Laski was a polish man borin in 1499. Laski was a Romanist priest, who converted to the Reformed faith. When that happened is not easy to tell, but it was clearly before 1542. It probably happened while he was in Basel. He went there in 1523 where he met Erasmus, Oecolampadius, and Zwingli. He became a pastor in Emden in 1542 clearly at this point preaching the Reformation and the doctrines of grace. He became the first superintendent of the Reformed Church in East Friesland in 1545. Persecution from the Holy Roman Empire and some Lutherans would chase him from Emden to England, where he pastored at the famous Stranger’s Church in London. This church had enormous influence on the Puritan movement as this church was outside of the rules of the Church of England. Laski supported Hooper in his refusal to wear the Vestiments. Bloody Mary would take the English throne and Laski was on the move again. He went to Brandenburg for a time, but would return to try and help reform his homeland of Poland. Laski was considered a heretic and was wanted for heresy, but he traveled back to Poland anyway. It was in Poland in 1560 that he died.

Laski’s influence cannot be overstated. Laski was a follower of Zwingli’s view of the supper, not Calvin’s view. Laski is a major influence in Puritanism, one that is often overlooked today. Just as a way of proof that Laski was more influential than Calvin with the faction that would become known as Puritans is the incident at Wesel. Wesel was a German town that had an exile church during the reign of Mary. The church had both French and English members. Many of the English wished to follow the Church of England, and the Church of England told the Wesel church that if they simply accepted a couple of the vestments they would be allowed to worship unmolested. The church wrote to both Laski and Calvin for advice. Calvin advised that they keep the vestments since they were indifferent theologically (for Calvin at least), and then the church would not split. Laski advised the church to reject the vestments and suffer the consequences. The church took Laski’s advice and all non-conformist, including the French, were kicked out of the church. Laski had great influence.

Laski helped form the ideas of church government that still impact the Presbyterian church today, namely that elders and ministers are the same except that ministers are able to preach and give the sacraments. Laski influenced the Heidelberg Catechism with some of his own early catechisms. Laski helped introduce the Reformation in Emden, England, Netherlands, and Poland at least. His contemporaries held him in high regard. Jerome Zanchy, Italian Reformer who taught at Heidelberg, held that Laski’s name should always be mentioned in the same breath with Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli.

The Rev. Eric Kayayan spoke beautifully about Calvin, and rightly so. He spoke of the great influence of Calvin, and again, rightly so. Rev. Kayayan mentioned all the people to whom Calvin wrote letters, such as the people in England, the exile churches, and even King Sigismund of Poland. It hit me then that Calvin was able to write to these people because of the labors of others, such as Laski. Would Calvin have been able to write to Sigismund if Laski had not done such good work? Would Calvin have had any influence in England if it had not been for Bucer, Vermigli, and Laski? Probably not. That is why Jan Laski needs to be remembered. He is a man who was a true foot soldier of the Reformation.

Forgotten Reformer: Ambrose Blarer

Ambrose Blarer is a forgotten reformer although he has contributed a great deal to modern churches and should be remembered by those who appreciate hymnody. Ambrose was born in 1492 to a wealthy family of Constance (sometimes spelled Konstanz). He probably became Reformed in his university days. He studied at Tubingen where he met Philip Melanchthon. Ambrose’s brother, Thomas, studied at Wittenburg under Luther himself, so Ambrose would clearly have been acquainted with Reformation thought. Despite all of the Lutheran contact, Ambrose became reformed and favored Zwingli’s view of the Lord’s Supper. Ambrose became a monk, but his reformed thought got him kicked out sometime between 1520 and 1523. By 1525 Ambrose was preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purity to the people of the southern Germany city of Constance. His brother Thomas was on the city council, which helped give political support to the new preaching. Constance was the seat of a bishop, so it was no small feat when the city declared for the Reformation. Blarer had a great deal of help from his cousins, Johannes Zwick (a pastor) and Conrad Zwick (another politician).

Blarer would not be content to free just the city of Constance from the grip of Rome and the papal anti-christ. He would also serve as the main Reformer for the cities of Ulm and Memmingen. Blarer also aided in the reformation of other towns such as Montebeliard, and countless others through his correspondence. Some of the work would be undone during the Augsburg Interim imposed after the victory of Emperor Charles. Blarer refused to sign the Augsburg Confession and fled to Switzerland in 1548. There he continued to preach in Swiss towns and give out advice to whoever sought it. He died in 1564.

His impact however was greater than this. When the Reformation took cities over they did not always come to the same conclusions regarding music. For example, the people of Zurich did not participate in singing at all at first. It actually took some time before the people took up their voices in song. The people under Bucer, Zell, and Capito, sang only psalms in the beginning. But the people of Constance wrote and sang hymns. By 1533, the Blarers and Zwicks had written a Constance Hymn Book. It was half psalms and half hymns. Ambrose wrote several hymns and he collected hymns from others. He did include many of the Lutheran hymns, and he also got several other Protestant Reformers to contribute hymns like Leo Juda of Zurich. Ambrose wrote catechical hymns, he wrote evening and morning hymns, and he wrote festal hymns. It took less than five years before Strassborg changed their worship style to include these new hymns flowing out of Constance. In 1540, Blarer collected more and published a new edition and had his friend Johannes Zwick write a defense of hymnody for the preface. These Reformers gave us the great tradition of hymns and adding hymns to our services. This is no small accomplishment. These men not only preached the gospel, but loved to sing the praises of their God and Savior. Blarer took a lead in that, and for that alone he deserves to be remembered.

MLB predictions

I have not made my predictions for this year's major league baseball, but better late than never.

First, let me say the Pirates are going to finish above .500. Yes, they are only 1.5 games out right now. That is amazing. If they can stay within 3 games of St. Louis during this stretch where Jack Wilson (hitting over .300) and Ryan Doumit (RBI leader last year) are on the disabled list and Nate McClouth (last year's all star) is missing a few games then the Pirates are going to compete for a Wild Card and perhaps the NL Central Title. This is a great start for them and they still have last year's bright spot Phil Dumatrait to add to the bullpen or rotation where ever he is needed as soon as Phil gets off the DL.

But the team to watch, and my pick to win the World Series is the Minnesota Twins. Right now they are under .500, but only 1.5 games out of first in their division. They are doing this without the person who should have won the MVP last year, Joe Mauer. Mauer led the AL in batting average last year, and when he gets back, the Twins will take off again. They have the best manager in baseball and a really good pitching staff. Expect the Twins to be in the post season this year.

As for the NL, I think you have to say that the Dodgers are going to win the NL. I hate to admit that, but I think Joe Torre is the second best manager in baseball, and they do not have a lot of competition out in the NL West. The Mets are going to fold down the stretch as always and leave the Dodgers without serious competition. I do not think that Pujols can keep the Cardinals in the running by himself and Chirs Carpenter is already hurt. The rest of the Cardinals are on steroids so you never know what you are going to get from them. The Cubs made a giant mistake in the offseason with Milton Bradley, and their pitching is not good enough. So, there you have it. My 2009 picks.

Paedocommunion vs. Confirmation: Part 2

I just want to take a brief glance at the history of Paedocommunion in the Church. Venema apparently does this in his book and comes to the conclusion that some churches may have practiced it and others probably did not. I agree with this assessment. In fact some of my thoughts can be found in the comment thread on this post. You can find some arguments that Paedocommunion is the historical practice by Tommy Lee on the web.

The Reformers rejected the practice and Wolfgang Musculus is the only one with any sympathy toward it at all. But even he rejects it in the end. The Roman Catholic Church had long since rejected the practice and Eastern Orthodox Church kept the practice. If you read the articles in favor of Paedocommunion you will see that many scholars think the Roman Catholic Church did not practice infant communion in the first and second century. I will not undertake a refutation of their refutation at this point as that would be tedious. However, I simply want to point out the fact that scholars are not as agreed as they would have you think. But more importantly I want to draw attention to their reasoning as to why the Roman Church dropped the practice. Mr. Lee writes:

If paedocommunion was the common practice of the church in ancient days, then why do we not practice it today? Keidel asserts that infants and children were forbidden from the Lord's Supper because of "the doctrine of transubstantiation and the doctrine of concomitance (i.e., that Christ is present entirely under either kind)... The fear that infants and children might spill the wine and thereby profane the actual body and blood of the Lord appears to have been the primary reason for this discontinuance."49 Actually, it was not only the infants and children who ceased drinking the "transubstantiated" wine. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries all of the laity (in the West), adults included, began to back away from the cup. 50

Yet, I see this as a blatant attempt to spin the historical debate in their favor. If the only reason to forbid the Table to infants was a heresy, then we should give it back right? There are several things that make it obvious that this reason is not the best, if one at all. First, Transubstantiation was not official, but was the primary understanding as early as the beginning of the Eleventh century as Pope Leo X had condemned views opposing Transubstantiation by 1050. That is a few centuries earlier than most of these people admit that infants no longer took the Supper, and it seems likely that Transubstantiation must have been around prior to that in an accepted way for Leo to be able to make such a decision. Second, people withdrew from the cup at different times in the history of the church. Pinning down one reason is difficult. In footnote 49 Mr. Lee does admit a growing demand for intelligent reception. Then he also has this important toss away phrase.

Other contributing factors may include the separation of confirmation from the time of baptism (made necessary because Christianity grew rapidly while the number of bishops did not) which encouraged a break down in the three part rite of initiation into the church (baptism, confirmation, eucharist) and the development of the idea of childhood.

Note the dismissive italics. Yet, it is clear that this separation is important. Confirmation used to be handled right after baptism and then the Supper was placed in their mouth. All three signs of being a member of the church crammed into one ceremony. Interestingly you will note that the Eastern Orthodox Church still does all three at once, and the Roman Church does not. Do you think this has any bearing on the fact that the Eastern Orthodox still communes infants and the Romans do not? Probably. The rite of confirmation moved, and with it communion.

Confirmation has already moved by the time of Charlemagne as Ratramnus of Corbie defended the removal of Confirmation from baptism by declaring it the ordination of the laity. In other words they were called into true service of God now at Confirmation, declared of age to participate in the fight. It should be noted for the theory above that Ratramnus rejected Transubstantiation. Confirmation prepared people for the fight of Spiritual Warfare, which necessitated maturity. This language can be seen with regards to confirmation as early as the fifth century in France. We also see that Confirmation for the Welch in Great Britain was not done until they were seven as early as the 9th century. Egbert Archbishop of York in the early part of the 8th century makes it clear that in England (at that point still separate from the Welch) a seven year old is confirmed and then they receive Communion. The Council of Lambeth (1281) made it clear that no child should partake of Communion until after Confirmation. They were not introducing a new idea, but strengthening the neglected rite of Confirmation. Pope Leo XIII in 1897 stated that the practice of the ancient church was to confirm children before their first communion, and that practice should be maintained. I will just assume the Pope has access to more ancient documents than I do, but I do realize that trusting a pope is not a good idea.

The point being here is that Confirmation has always played an important role. Even in the churches that did give the bread and wine to infants, they were almost always confirmed first. Now, I am clearly not arguing for a Roman Catholic doctrine of Confirmation, but I am saying that it is something that cannot be left out of the discussion.

And in fact when the Reformers re-examined everything they of course did not believe Confirmation a sacrament, but they did find it a useful rite of the church. One based now on catechism, instruction, and knowledge. And it served as a wonderful way to make sure children were ready to take the Lord’s Supper. Bucer introduced catechism based Confirmation into the churches of Germany and the churches of England. This of course rubbed off on the German speaking Swiss cantons. The French speaking cantons followed the lead of Calvin, who also performed catechism based Confirmation usually at about age 10. The historic Reformed position then is pretty clear. It is not just allowing people with a profession of faith to the Table at a certain age, it is allowing people to the Table after Confirmation, which involves instruction from the church.

And that in the end, is what I am arguing for. I am not arguing for some random age. I am arguing for participation in the Lord’s Supper to be after a church based examination that involves more than just a profession of faith, but an actual in-depth time of study and knowledge before being allowed to the Table. I shall call it Confirmation Based Communion. I think it is biblical, historical, and the proper thing to do. I hope to expand some basic Exegetical arguments in the next posts.

Paedocommunion vs. Confirmation

I am afraid that the paedo-communion discussion has been lost by the reformed side of the debate. I don’t wade into this lightly because I have some friends who are adamant about the issue, but I fear they are losing. Why? Because it has already been accepted in principle, now all that is left is to haggle over the age. The serious problems of paedo-communion are too often left out of the discussion, or worse, assumed to be true.

Let me give some examples. Steve Hays at Triablogue asks this question.

I have one question: If a pregnant woman takes communion, is that a form of paedocommunion?

Now I admit Hays is not arguing for either side just looking for some clarification, but you would be really surprised to see how often this argument comes up. Hays does not comment on the incipient sacramentalism in the thought. If the baby in the uterus partakes of communion through the mother then clearly we have the transmission of a spiritual blessing through a physical act: the act of eating. Which by the way is exactly what they say. Wilson calls it "eating grace" (Reformed is Not Enough. Pg. 93).

Rev. Douglas Wilson and Rev. Lane Keister are currently blogging through a book by Rev. Cornelius Venema about the issue of paedocommunion. I have great hopes that this will still end up in a strong rejection of paedocommunion as carrying with it a latent sacramentalism. However, Rev. Keister informs us that the book will make a difference between the "strict" view of anyone capable of eating coming to the table and the “soft” view which accepts young professions of faith. Rev. Wilson rightly called this a major flaw. More to the point Rev. Wilson informs us that the book considers the "soft" view a mere modification of the historic reformed view. Things get worse when we see that Rev. Keister admit he is a soft paedocommunionist. This debate is now between a "Strict Paedocommunist", a "Soft Paedocommunist", and a book that thinks "Soft Paedocommunism" is acceptable.

This is why I fear the debate is lost. The practice of allowing children and people in general to the table has been very lax in America for generations. The entrance to the table for most people is merely a Conversion Narrative (an invention of the New Side Presbyterians in the First Great Awakening). If you can tell people when you were saved or that Jesus is your savior, and the Session/Consistory believes you then you are allowed to the Table. Is that the historic Reformed Practice? More importantly, is that the Biblical practice?

In the next several posts I would like to examine this question as thoroughly as my meager efforts can. You will notice the title of the post involves the issue of Confirmation. I think that Confirmation is left out of the discussion far too often, and perhaps is the reason that all the important ground has already been ceded to the Paedocommunists. Few churches practice this rite of the church that was fully endorsed by the Reformation and a prerequisite to the Table.

Tax Day Protest Thoughts

The Tax Day Tea Parties illustrated several major things that ought to scare everyone of us.

The first is a point that cannot be stressed enough. There are some people out there that actually think Keith Olbermann is a journalist. That is astounding and proof that some people will believe anything. Self-Delusion of course is the greatest and Keith himself may actually think his sexual joking about the Tea Parties was real journalism. There is no doubt in my mind that as big a liberal as Edward Murrow was that Murrow would be horrified that Olbermann was on TV and using his catch phrase. I think Murrow would slap Olbermann and tell him a few choice words.

Second, the media as a whole is completely biased. Journalism is dead. It will never come back and it will be hard to maintain a free country and be informed since TV stations are tools of the political parties now. MSNBC was disgraceful in its coverage as was CNN. Fox News went the opposite rout and tried to act as if they were are a part of the Tax Day Tea Parties, which is just as unjournalistic. Not good.

Third, people do not understand taxes. This is what worries me the most. This CNN reporter shows her complete hatred of the protestors, but also her complete ignorance of taxes in this clip that is a must watch. Notice how her response to the man’s complaint about his liberty is to cut him off. In the reporter’s mind taxes and liberty are unrelated. Then she goes even further when the man speaks directly to his taxes been too high, she states that his state is getting a lot of Money from the Federal Government, as if that makes taxes okay. She clearly thinks taxing people in order to give the money to other people is a great idea and does not understand why this guy is not on board. She clearly did not do a lot of listening to the people while she was out there.

The flaw that not only this reporter, but just about all 500 plus representatives in Congress make is that “the power to tax involves the power to destroy” as was noted by Chief Justice John Marshall in McCulloch v Maryland. That was of course an undisputed point because that is exactly what Maryland wanted to do the Bank of the US, destroy it. Maybe now it will be clearer to all why liberty is at state when we discuss taxes. If you tax it, you can destroy it, and you will at one point if the people do not keep vigilance. The Federal Government now taxes your phone calls, your gas, and most importantly your income. They have the power to destroy your income. That is why people go to the streets and fear for their liberty. That is why the original Boston Tea Party also. If Parliament had the power to tax anything and everything then there was no liberty. They were slaves of Parliament, slaves to the will of Parliament.

Every civilization before America understood this. Taxes are not Patriot as liberal Democrats want you to believe. They are a necessary, but they are far from patriotic. More revolts are about taxes than about anything else. You can even look in the Bible to see a tax revolt under Rehoboam. It is not because people are selfish and want their money, it is because taxes destroy. They destroy their liberty, their freedom, and cannot be tolerated at certain levels. Either the people end up revolting, the government listens and lowers taxes, or the nation collapses on itself. This is just fact. Sadly a fact that no one notices today.

Oscar De La Hoya: A Sports Legend

You may not have heard, but Oscar De La Hoya retired the other day from boxing, and it could be very well be the end of boxing.

De La Hoya was overall 39-6 and sadly is most remembered for losing 4 of his last 7 fights. Yet, it needs to be remembered that he lost to undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing legend Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Shane Mosely twice one of which he admitted to using steroids, and Manny Pacquio who is the best pound for pound fighter in the world right now. His other loss was to Felix Trinidad, which was such a bad decision that an investigation was actually launched into the decision, but then again De La Hoya won a decision against Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitiker that was equally as bad.

But the important thing to remember about Oscar De La Hoya is his impact on the sport. He has single handed kept boxing a float in the past decade. He has not avoided the big time boxers. He fought and won titles in four different weight classes. He fought Mayweather and set records for PPV. He had previously set records with his bout against Felix Trinidad. He has also promoted several fights, such as the Mayweather bout, that have done great things for the sport. Yet, without De La Hoya boxing will probably die. Mayweather retired and then tried to come back versus Ricky Hatton, but that was not the success that boxing needed. Now Mayweather is back in retirement. Hopkins has retired, and Pacquio has no one of worth to fight plus he is not a draw in America. And the heavyweight division is destroyed and worthless.

The sport of boxing has always been of interest to me, but now it is being surpassed as it is full of drug users, violent criminals, and bad actors. It is a shame that the days of Sugar Ray and Marvolous Marvin Hagglar are all gone. It is a sad thing.

Meacham's misinformatin, misunderstanding, and out right missing it

Jon Meacham has his ignorance on display again in Newsweek. The article is proclaiming the End of Christian America. Of course Jon litters the article with his own opinion.

I think this is a good thing—good for our political culture, which, as the American Founders saw, is complex and charged enough without attempting to compel or coerce religious belief or observance.

The End of Christian America is a good thing according to Jon Meacham, but is his opinion informed, or is he as reckless in this belief as he is in his scholarship and books. The answer is obvious, he is completely misinformed, misunderstanding, and missing the boat.

I will start with misinformed, and the above quote is a good place to start. Have Christians in America tried to force religious belief? Or even observance? Of course not. Trying to outlaw abortion or stop gay marriage cannot by any stretch of the imagination be seen as forcing religious belief. Protecting people that cannot protect themselves is not forcing religious belief. But, for some reason Meacham thinks that this is what is going on in America. Not surprisingly Meacham is also misinformed about history. He has proven this over and over in his books, but he wants us to really see how stupid he is. Meacham's inability to tell the difference between a Christian Nation and a nation in which Christianity is the warp and woof destroys almost every argument he has ever made. Meacham tries to show some places where he believes Christians have overstepped and forced religious belief. He cites Prohibition, which may have had some Christian support, but failed because it was decidedly anti-Christian. Jesus himself would have had to been arrested since he used alcohol. Hardly was the Christian world united behind Prohibition, which was just as much driven by those who thought the state could fix the world, Progressives, not exactly a Christian haven. Meacham also cites evolution. Here he thinks Christians have argued that evolution not be taught in schools, and in fact they did . . . in 1920. However, now Christians are just asking that evolution not be taught as fact and that maybe alternate theories can have a place in the school room too. Meacham sees no problem with Evolutionists enforcing their belief on Christians, but thinks Christians should not have the right to have their belief mentioned. Yet, Meacham cannot see this obvious flaw at all. Meacham wants toleration, except of course for tolerating Christians or at least Creationism. Then abortion is mentioned as if being against murder is something only a "fundamentalist extremist" would do. These are all awful examples, but it is also all he can come up with. Meacham remains clueless about history and misinformed on reality.

The misunderstanding makes his misinformation look benign. He lectures us with this phrase.

Religious believers should welcome this; freedom for one sect means freedom for all sects.

This statement is poetical, sounds great, but it is completely false. Did Meacham ever stop to think if this statement was true? Let me give a few examples. Islam often desires to go by Sharia Law. This is not just confined to the Middle East, but also is emerging in places like Canada. Does this freedom for Islam result in freedom for all sects? Does it result in freedom for women? Of course not. Women are mere objects in Sharia Law. They can be divorced by mere word of mouth, they often are forced to cover up from head to toe. Is that freedom? Hardly. One can use the Secular Humanist or the Feminist who thinks that a woman has the right to do whatever she wants with the baby in her womb. They wish to murder it. Now is this freedom for the dead baby? Hardly. The Culture War, which MSNBC and Newsweek try hard to pretend ended with the election of Barak Obama, exists because of what Meacham fails to recognize. There are such things as Contradictories. Two things that cannot both be true, and cannot both be accepted, thus they cannot both be tolerated. Take Public Schools for example. Can you teach in public school God at all? No. Can you allow prayer? No. Can you teach Creationism? No. Is that freedom and liberty in the government schools? Is that laying all ideas side by side and letting them fight it out on equal footing, which is Meacham’s pet idea? Or is that intolerance of Christian ideas, and a promotion of atheism, communism, and/or humanism? You cannot have them both. They are at war. Meacham fundamentally misunderstands the nature of belief, the nature of truth, and the nature of what logic calls the "Square of Opposition".

Still further Meacham is missing the boat. He starts by missing his own quote from Al Mohler of the Southern Baptist Convention. Mohler states in the article.

"The post-Christian narrative is radically different; it offers spirituality, however defined, without binding authority," he told me. "It is based on an understanding of history that presumes a less tolerant past and a more tolerant future, with the present as an important transitional step."

Mohler has identified what he believes is a problem. The attempt to hold society together without a unified understanding of concepts. Removing the foundation so to speak. Only a paragraph or two later, Meacham comes up with this piece of worldly wisdom.

What we value most highly—what we collectively love most—is thus the central test of the social contract.

And then explained:

If we apply an Augustinian test of nationhood to ourselves, we find that liberty, not religion, is what holds us together.

My question for Mr. Meacham is this: What is liberty? Can he define it in terms that we will all agree? Then the second logical question. From whence does liberty come? Now, I promise you he will lose most of the people with his answer to that question. In other words, Mohler is right. We may all love liberty, but the one who thinks liberty comes from giving up powers to the President in the Patriot Act and the one who thinks that liberty is stronger without the government are going to differ. I did not even have to bring God into that question to prove Meacham a man full of platitudes, but no real deep thought. When your liberty endangers another’s liberty, whose liberty wins out? Meacham has no answers. That is because he missed the boat about Christianity completely. Liberty comes with Christianity, and from no where else. What force has civilized the world? What force has brought liberty to the world? Christianity is the answer. Did not Christianity civilize the Roman world? Christianity put an end to the gladiator games and feeding people to lions. When the barbarians came, they came without Christianity. Then they were civilized by Christiantiy and civilization was restored. Education, reform, and prosperity came with the Christianity promoted by Charlemagne in what we now call the Carolingian Renaissance. The University was created around the idea of Christianity. The Renaissance is linked fundamentally with the Reformation. Communism was stopped as much by where the Reformation had come as by any military force. Were the American Indians civilized before the induction of Christianity from the settlers? No. It was Christianity that ended the slave trade through men like William Wilburforce doing exactly what Meacham is against. Meacham is just petulantly raging that tolerance is good and those who are against him are just intolerant extremists. Meacham’s complete inability to see that this is a much deeper divide than just mere words means he has missed the spiritual, philosophical, and intellectual boat.

It should be noted that even leftist bloggers like Jeff Schweitzer can see that Meacham is just babbling like a child. Schweitzer can at least see that the Christianity and Secular Humanism cannot be tolerated on the same field. They are Contradictories.

Arnold J. Toynbee, a historian, once stated, "Civilizations are not murdered. They commit suicide." This article from Jon Meacham is trying to get our civilization to take a cyanide pill.

Forgotten Reformer: Matthew Zell

I have often wondered why we do not speak more of Matthew Zell. When we think of the reformation in Strasbourg we almost always speak of Martin Bucer. Yet, Bucer was the last reformer to arrive on the scene in Strasbourg. He was beaten by Hedio, Capito, and Zell. In fact, Zell is the first Reformer in Strasbourg. He deserves the lion’s share of the credit. Yet, he is mostly a forgotten reformer today.

Matthew Zell was born in 1477 and educated in Freiburg and Mainz among other places. He went to be a preacher in Strasbourg in 1518 and by 1521 (perhaps earlier) he was preaching the Reformed doctrines. This makes him one of the very early Reformers just slightly after Zwingli and Luther himself. For several years he labored by himself for the Reformation in Strasbourg. The Roman bishop, Wilhelm Honstein, tried to have him removed several times, but the City Council supported Zell because the people of the city loved his sermons. He was far too popular. In fact, at one point the Cathedral pulpit was closed to him and he was not allowed to preach in it. So the Carpenters Guild of the city built him a portable pulpit and they placed it in the sanctuary for Zell to use. From that point on Zell preached in the pulpit made especially for him. An indication of how beloved he was in the city.

Perhaps, we have forgotten Zell because he cared only for preaching. He did not participate in any of the controversies of the city or the broader Reformed world. He did not attend Marburg Colloquy. He did not participate in any of the attempts to unify Luther with the Swiss Reformers. He simply preached and shepherded his church. This means that in D’Aubigne’s History of the Reformation Matthew Zell is only mentioned once when he houses Zwingli while Zwingli visits Strasbourg. Surely he played a more important role than that. Yet, he only seems to have wanted to be left alone to preach the gospel and teach the members of his church. And by all accounts he did just that. He even wrote a catechism around 1536 directed at children so that they might more clearly understand the biblical truths.

It should also be noted that Zell had no problem moving over. When in 1523 others began to arrive in Strasbourg to hold pulpits of their own and preach for the Reformation, Zell was happy. He did desire to see his city serve the risen Lord, and it was great news that now the pulpits were being filled with other men who preached the truth. Zell, who had been the unquestioned leader in the city, does not show any signs of anger or resentment when Bucer and Capito take the lead and begin to direct the city council of Strasbourg or lead the church into a wider community. Zell had no problem letting men who might have been more gifted at such things use their gifts and lead the church. Zell reminds us of Barnabas in that way. Barnabas had no problem stepping from the lime light to let Paul do the leading, but that does not mean that Barnabas did not do great work. Indeed he did. As it is also with Zell. A constant reminder of how laboring in one’s own vineyard can produce dramatic results. Zell is a forgotten reformer that probably would not mind being forgotten. Truly a pious example for us all.

Multiple Book Reviews

It has been a while since I have done a book review, so let me try to do several at once.

Decision in Philadelphia, by Christopher and James Collier, is a magnificent book. It takes a look into the writing of the Constitution of the United States. It introduces you to the major players with nice biographical sections, gives insight into the debates, the politics, and the outcome. This book has some wonderful things that really challenged and changed my opinion about the Constitution and the Convention. One such change is whether or not Madison was truly the “Father of the Constitution”. The Colliers do a fairly convincing job showing that the real father of the Constitution might ought to be Charles Pickney of South Carolina, and that Madison launched a smear campaign to remove the importance of Pickney even going so far as to never record a single speech given by Pickney during the Convention. This is just a small glimpse of the fun and enjoyable discussions on the heart of the U.S. Constitution that happen in this book. Even if you disagree with where the authors come out, this book is a great read. And it is readable, which is also nice too.

Teaching the Reformation is widely overpriced, but still very good. The book examines the Reformation specifically how it was passed on in the 100 years after it came to Basel. The book only examines Basel. Thus, the author breaks down preaching patterns, teaching methods, ministering practices, and other factors in Basel from 1529 to 1629. The book is hampered slightly in that not much is available from Oecolampadius and his contemporaries who brought the Reformation to Basel. It would have been more enlightening to see that. However, the book still does a good job of showing the impact of cultural trends, educational trends, and the goals of the Reformers in the city. I have a few complaints. She is far too nice to Simon Sulzer and his Lutheranizing. That hurts the book in my opinion. It is also obviously scholarly work, which makes it a fairly hard read. Don’t expect to finish it in a weekend. And be familiar with Ramism before you get into the book. I was surprised to see what an extensive role Ramism played in Basel. Also she references graphs of ages of pastors and education levels and stuff like that, but all the graphs are in the back. I do not like to flip to the back while reading. I found that annoying. The book is good if you are a pastor who cannot get enough Reformation history. If you are a casual reader, wait until the book comes up on e-bay.

1066 was recommended to me in 11 Grade English. My teacher there was a drunk and taught us nothing. However, she raved about this one book. I never read it because that teacher stunted my education. I mean she watched kids cheat on vocabulary tests and did nothing, but threw one kid out of school for crossing a chalk line that put him to close to her “secret” stash of booze. Anyway, the book is about the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, except it comes at the story from a very interesting perspective. You learn about the conquest, but you are actually reading a book about the Beaux Tapestry, which tells the tale of the Conquest. This tapestry, which is in Beaux France and dates from about 10 years after the conquest is traditionally thought of as giving the Norman account of the Conquest and the controversy that led to the war. Yet, this author, hypothesizes that the tapestry was actually a clever way to tell the English (Anglo-Saxon) side of the story while not getting its creator’s head cut off by his new rulers. Very intriguing. I do not know enough about the Tapestry to really pick sides, but I like books that argue a point, and I learned about the Conquest while being entertained in this man’s quest to discover the true meaning of one our ancient works of art and history. It is part history book and part detective novel. Good book. And yes, frame by frame pictures of the tapestry are provided so that you can follow along with her analyzing of the tapestry.

I have also read several short stories, the most notable one being The Problem of Susan by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is a very famous fantasy/science fiction writer. The recent movie Coraline is written by Mr. Gaiman. This short story is clearly a response to both C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books as well as Christianity as a whole. It takes a character named Susan who is all grown up and has dreams about Lions and White Witches and battles where winter turns to spring. She mentions a train wreck that killed her whole family including a brother named Ed. It is clearly meaning to follow the life of Susan from the Narnia books who you will recall does not return to Narnia because she likes lipstick and boys too much. One of the draw backs of the short story is that the theme of sex is a bit too graphic. However, Gaiman clearly thinks that is the problem with Christianity. He views Satan and God as together. The two are a heartless pair that have their fun with people and are really only out to please themselves. The short story is very blasphemous, but then what else do you expect from a non-Christian writer. He does actually spend a brief moment or two critiquing children’s books and Narnia as a book as well. Too moralistic and preachy the characters assert in this story. Gaiman clearly thinks that old time literature that was not so Puritanical was better for children overall. In the end, this short story was interesting and a look into the mind of someone who rejects Christ. But it’s not exactly a story for the ages.

Caspar Hedio

This reformer is truly forgotten. Finding discussions on Hedio are like finding diamonds in your back yard. A rare thing indeed. In fact, even his Wikipedia entry is only one sentence long, but it is long enough to tell us he died in 1552. It mentions he was a reformer and a historian who was located in Strassborg. That is all we get from the Encyclopedia. Although the German version of Wiki has a much more detailed entry.

Yet, there is much more to Hedio. He was a reformer, and an early one at that. Hedio studied under Capito at the University of Freiburg and then again at the University of Basel. He followed Capito to Bradenburg where he became the court preacher to the Archbishop after Capito was promoted to a counselor of Albert of Brandenburg. Albert, in case we have forgotten, was one who originally hired Tetzel to sell indulgences in his area. Albert never quite went over to the Reformation, but while Hedio and Capito were there he was quite unwilling to do anything against it. Hedio got a job preaching in Strasborg, which briefly hurt his friendship with Capito who also wanted the job, but the two reconciled. Thus Hedio aided Matthew Zell (who is our next reformer) reforming Strasbourg, and in a few months was joined by Capito (who got a different job in the city). That city boasted three powerfrul exponents of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hedio having preached before in both Basel and Bradenburg was quite a powerful preacher according to all accounts. Not only could he preach, but also he was active in the debates for the Reformation. The Marburg Colloquy had Caspar Hedio in attendance. He was on the side of Zwingli in opposition to the Lutherans. Thus, it is an interesting and rare moment to find a description of Hedio from someone who was opposed to him. Justus Jonas, a Lutheran present at the Colloquy stated that Hedio had “as much liberality as kindness” (pg. 501 D’Aubigne History of the Reformation). This was a compliment just in case anyone was inclined to read it otherwise. Thus, Hedio dealt graciously with those with whom he disagreed.

Hedio was widely regarded and appreciated for his gifts of ministry and preaching. Apparently other cities would often write to Hedio to get his opinion. Baden and even the Palatinate wrote to Hedio for advice, which he freely gave, and at one point Zurich tried to hire him, but Hedio had just accepted the job in Strasbourg and turned them down. Hedio also showed his scholarly side as he made translations into German of important works and wrote history chronicles. Some sources indicate that a work on tithing might also have been published. Hedio’s work is almost all lost to us now. Yet, it can be seen in letters and in his presence that people must have thought very highly of Caspar Hedio. A forgotten Reformer, Hedio was early on the field and obviously important in the establishment of the gospel.

New Calvinism versus Old Calvinism

I want to briefly comment on Marc Driscoll’s blog post about the New Calvinism. Apparently Time Magazine has called the New Calvinsim is the third most powerful engine changing the world. That is exciting news. I am not really writing to pick on the New Calvinism. I just feel I have to pick on Marc Driscoll’s definition of Old Calvinism. I think it shows a real lack of historical understanding, and probably a real lack of self-reflection as well.

He has four points of difference between the New Calvinism and the Old Calvinism. He touts his first difference as Old Calvinism withdrawing from culture while New Calvinism transforms it and is missional. Again, a made up word used to define this new movement does not speak well of transforming the culture or “Culturalizing” (since we are making stuff up). It also hard to believe that the Reformation did not transform the culture. I am not sure what history books Driscoll reads, but they are not the right ones. The Reformation and Old Calvinism changed the world. New Calvinism on the other hand likes to use Twitter during worship services and cuss like sailors and use provocative language to titillate the listener. Hardly transforming, in my opinion.

His second definition has Old Calvinism as fleeing from the cities and New Calvinism flocking to them. I will just give him this one as how “old” Old Calvinism is he attacking? This probably has a little merit to it, so we will give him this one.

His third definition has Old Calvinism as favoring cessationistic with regards to the Holy Spirits miraculous gifts while New Calvinism embraces Continuationism. This is dead on and one major difference. I will not debate how wrong New Calvinism is here, but this is a very major difference.

His fourth point has Old Calvinism as fearful and suspicious while the New Calvinism is loving and open to others. While this is clearly a slanted view, I think he underestimates the value of fear. Bridge building is one thing, but unwilling to denounce is quite another. I also think that this point undercuts his first point. They are not transforming culture, but building bridges to it. If you have not read the book Young Restless and Reformed you probably ought to. That is a good tour of New Calvinism. But in that book we see people trying to minister the gospel in the milieu of the culture. Rap songs speaking Calvinism. Driscoll would no doubt point out that it is bridge building and reaching the young, but is it compromising? New Calvinism is not really dealing with these tough questions just as they ducked them in the book. Fear sometimes protects. Suspicion is often founded on solid ground.

I am not saying New Calvinism is dumb or wrong. I am all for people holding to New Calvinsim, but it is not Reformed. I will not be wearing a Jonathon Edwards is My Homeboy T-Shirts, but I would rather someone wear that than a Che T-Shirt. Still, I believe the main difference is that Old Calvinism is Time tested and allows Biblical Truth to sink to every area of life. New Calvinism is enamoured with the truth of Predestination and Sovereignty, but they have not yet had time to work out the kinks. When they do, they will either be a fad passed away or they will become Old Calvinists too.

Forgotten Reformer: Wolfgang Capito

This reformer is forgotten by most. However, his work was quite influential and the reasons he has been looked over are beyond me. Perhaps it is because his beginning is not quite as praise worthy as Luther’s or Zwingli’s. Not everyone in the Reformation immediately understood the need to publicly break with the Roman Church. Capito was one of those who thought a stealth campaign from within the church might be more effective. Luther regularly denounced him for this, but eventually Capito comes out in the open about his beliefs and becomes a great reformer.

Capito’s birth is unknown, but it is probably in the 1480’s. He attended the University of Ingolstadt in 1501, Heidelberg in 1504, and got his degree from Freiburg as well as a Master of Arts in 1506. He would have known then the Dean of Freiburg, Johann Eck, the famed Roman apologist. Capito himself went on to serve as dean in 1511 showing a great intellect. He did earn a doctorate in 1515. By 1516 Capito is friendly with Erasmus showing that perhaps Capito was brought into the Reformation through the Renaissance. He preached in Basel from around 1515 to 1520, which would have given him ample opportunity to meet and learn from Erasmus. The two became good friends. In Basel we see Capito begin to correspond with Luther. In 1520, Capito went to Brandenburg to serve the Archbishop of Mainz as a court preacher. Here Capito tried to influence Archbishop Albert to favor the Reformation. He succeeded only in getting Albert to take a neutral stance. He brought with him several people including Caspar Hedio (who we will examine next) that were also Reformers although not openly. This shows that by 1520 Capito favors the Reformation, but is not yet willing to publicly break with Rome. In 1522, Capito won a suit in papal court that gave him the possession of the provostship of St. Thomas in Strasborg. It was given to him with the express eye to keep him in the church. It was awarded to him again after an appeal in 1523 that he should not follow the path of Luther now that he had been given this job. Yet, that year Luther published his letters with Capito in order to “out” him as a Reformer and the Papal court reversed its decision. Captio went to Strasborg anyway and took possession of the job and then the divided town council of Strasborg would not remove him from his job. Capito became a Reformer with Matthew Zell in Strasborg in 1523 leading that city down the path of the Reformation.

When Martin Bucer arrives, Bucer assumes a leading role in Strasborg, but Capito was always there. Capito is there at every major event and serving the people of Strasborg constantly with the Word of God. Bucer was the front man, and perhaps the better preacher, but Capito served using his scholarly gifts as well. In 1527, he wrote a catechism for use in the city’s churches. It is Capito who first among the Reformers champions the idea of Sunday, the Lord’s Day, as being the New Testament Sabbath. Capito made sure that Oecolampadius’s Commentaries were published in Strasborg, and made sure that he himself preached on OT books that had been mostly neglected and forgotten by the Roman Catholic Church like Hosea. While Capito worked with Bucer in Bucer’s attempts to unify the Lutherans and the Reformed, Capito held a more Zwinglian view on the Lord’s Supper and his works usually reflect that understanding. Preaching in St. Peter the Younger Church in Strasborg he probably imparted this understanding of the Lord’s Supper to his people.

Capito also advanced the Reformation in the way that we seldom think of: children. It is unclear how many Capito had, but he did have at least one. Capito married the widow of John Oecolampadius, and had a child with her who grew up to be a Reformed pastor himself. In fact, Wolfgang Meyer, the Basel delegate to the Synod of Dort, is the descendant of Wolfgang Capito. And yes, the first name Wolfgang was in honor of Wolfgang Capito. This shows that Capito not only imparted biblical truth from the pulpit, but in his home as well. Such things cannot be underestimated.

Capito was a biblical scholar, a legal scholar, a Reformer, and a good theologian. He is one who needs to be remembered when we think of the Reformers. May he be forgotten no more.

Children as Global Warming Agents

If you ever had any doubt about the culture wars, now is the time to pay attention and see for yourself.

Liberals are often talked about as loving the Culture of Death. They favor Euthenasia, abortion, and embryo stem cell research. Well, add to that now the Chinese one child policy all in the name of Global Warming. That is right, your children put off too much carbon dioxide. They are a danger to the planet. Population control: morally offensive liberal agenda item #387

Forgotten Reformer #3: Berthold Haller

Another forgotten Reformer who languishes in the shadow of John Calvin is the Reformer of Bern: Berthold Haller. Berthold Haller was born in 1492 in Wurttenburg. The man learned at the feet of a professor in Bern who taught the evangelical gospel. Later Haller went onto Pforzheim where he met Melanchthon. He came back from his studies a clear thinking Reformed believer and he taught those truths to his flock in Bern. He was already preaching the evangelical gospel before he ever met Zwingli, which was in 1521. Haller was a key figure in the Baden disputation of 1525, which was officially judged to be won by the Romanists by the Romanist city council of Baden, although the fact Baden declares for the Reformation less than five years later cries of a different winner. Haller also served as a leader at the Bern Disputation the following year in 1526. As the pastor of Bern, it was Haller who wrote the Ten Theses that were debated. Of course the Reformed City Council gave the victory to the Reformers, and then Oecolampadius and Zwingli subscribed to the Ten Theses making it the first consensus Reformed document. Haller should be remembered at least for that contribution.

However, we ought to remember him for even more. Let us not forget that Geneva was a small city state that would not exist without the protection of the Canton of Bern. It was always to the people at Bern that Calvin and Farel had to report. Bern was the authority over Geneva. Bern was in a unique position as the link between the French speaking Reformation and the German speaking Reformation. The majority of Bern spoke German, but the small district of Vaud spoke French. This made Bern a power player in the French side of the Reformed Reformation. Refugees from France poured into Vaud as well as Geneva, and Bern helped make sure that both places were stocked with good Reformed ministers. Now a lot of that happened after the death of Berthold Haller in 1536, but all of the ground work for it was laid by Berthold.

Berthold Haller also ought to be remembered as one of the men who held the Reformation together. For this he gets little to no credit today. The Reformation was not a smooth ride from Zwingli to Calvin as some text books might make you think. The year 1531 was a devastating year for the Reformed Reformation. That year the Romanists crushed the Protestant Swiss in a war and saw the death of Zwingli on the battlefield. An illness killed John Oecolampadius in that same year. The two leading lights of the Reformation were snuffed in one fell swoop not to mention the first military set back had occurred which of course produced a treaty favorable to the Romanists and made the advancement of the Reformation even more difficult. The Synod of Bern in 1532 may well have stemmed the tide of Romanism and reasserted the Reformed Reformation. Bern was characterized by massive strife, mostly over Bern’s unwillingess to aid Zurich in the war, which was lost, and council and church now stood at each others’ throats. The Romanists were using this to gain a foothold in Bern. The late treaty had made it very easy for the Romanists to send Roman evangelists into the area. Haller, with the help of Wolfgang Capito (who we will look at next), saved the church at Bern. Reunion took place and all 300 men in attendance wept at the beautiful sight of a church reunited and the power of forgiveness in Christ. After such a powerful display the Romanists did not stand a chance and soon left. Basel and Zurich were able to set up the successors to Oecolampadius and Zwingli. During that brief time of distress Haller stood forth and served as the leader of the Reformed faith. His display of the power of forgiveness and reconciliation is not often how we think of the Reformation progressing, but it is indeed a witness that cannot be stopped.

This forgotten Reformer is really one of the great heroes of the faith.

More March Cheating

As I pointed out a few years ago, the Sports announcers and the powers that be were upset when the Missouri Valley dominated the tournament and the Sweet Sixteen was one-fourth small conferences as was the Final Four. Last year we sat through ESPN complaining about the six small conference at large bids, historically a fairly low number, and arguing that small conferences should not even have Automatic Bids. Of course the NCAA continues to play up to the money and ESPN and lowered the number of At-Large Bids from 6 to 4. This is ridiculous. Just take a look.

The Big 10 sent 7 teams! 63% of this conference is in the tournament. Wisconsin is in without winning 20 games. You do not even have to finish in the top half of the Big 10 to make the tournament. The Pac-10 sent 6 proving the same thing in that league with 60% of the teams in. The Big East sent 7, but that means that just under half of the conference is in the tournament. Exactly half of the Big 12 is in the tournament. This includes Texas A&M who was 9-7 in their conference and lost to Tulsa (small conference) during the season. Texas lost even more than that and they still made the tournament. It is absolutely ridiculous.

The NCAA is also continuing their policy of eliminating these teams by making them play each other as I told you last year. Gonzaga vs. Akron is unnecessary. So is Xavier vs. Portland State. I could fix this without switching seeding. Let Gonzaga play Mississippi St. and Akron play Washington. Then if I can switch one seed, just let Portland St. play Florida State and then drop Wisconsin to play Xavier. Problem solved. But that is not what they want.

Let us also remember the insanity of their reasoning. They think that Small Conference schools cannot compete against the Big Boys, so let more Big Conference teams play. But just examine the results. Last year Memphis was in the Final Game (only bid from their league Conference USA), and Davidson made the Elite Eight (only bid from the Southern Conference). The year before that I believe Memphis made the Elite Eight and Butler (Horizon), UNLV (Mountain West), and Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley) made the 25% of the Sweet Sixteen small schools. 2006 was the year where 31% of the Sweet Sixteen were small conference schools 25% of the Elite Eight and George Mason (one of two schools from the Colonial that year) made the Final Four to make 25% of the Final Four. While 2005 was an off year with only UW-Milwaukee and Utah making the Sweet Sixteen, 2004 had St. Joseph’s(Atlantic 10) in the Elite Eight and UAB (C-USA) to reach the Sweet Sixteen along with Nevada and Xavier (Atlantic 10). Another 25% of the Sweet Sixteen. In 2003, Marquette reached the Final Four after defeating number one ranked Kentucky. Remember at that time Marquette was in Conference USA, a small conference (25% of the Final Four for the math challenged). 2002 small conference schools made up 13% of the Sweet Sixteen (Southern Illinois and Kent St.). 2001 had Temple in the Elite Eight and Gonzaga joining them in the Sweet Sixteen with Cincinnati, which was a small conference school then. That is about 19% of the Sweet Sixteen.

So examining the facts it really appears as if the Small Schools get better and better and fewer and fewer bids. They routinely got at least 5 and sometimes up to seven. Logic would dictate that perhaps 25% of the At-Large bids ought to go to the Small Schools. Instead this year it is around 11%. Despite out performing every year, the small conferences continually get snubbed.

The biggest losers this year are St. Mary’s whose conference has gotten two bids in the past, and San Diego State. Clearly, they both should have gotten in. One day sanity will take over, but until then please join me in routing against every team from the Big Conferences.

Stewart vs. Cramer a comedy of hypocrisy

If you have not been following the John Stewart versus Jim Cramer, then you are a better man than I am. But if you are as sorry and pathetic as I am then you probably witnessed the incredibly hypocritical and mean spirited person interview with John Stewart I do not care so much about who was right on calling the financial crisis. I do not even like Jim Cramer. And I will say that John Stewart has some good points about CNBC needing to be better at reporting the fraud that does occur. However, Stewart said somethings that condemn him more than Jim Cramer. Stewart can pretend he is a comedy show, but he is doing the news for the young crowd and one can tell that he takes it seriously. Just watch the clip if you don’t think so.
Stewart said that the media should not take things at face value. Yet, he does not attack Barak Obama and the media today. Stewart things that the media ought to poke around and find out the truth. Yet, where was the media in such things as the Birth Certificate, or the stimulus bill debate, or Obama’s connection to Ayers or whatever. Stewart mocked those people who wanted Obama to produce a Birth Certificate, and instead to Obama’s word about it despite his own grandmother’s conflicting reports and massive resistance from the Obama camp. Stewart dedicated a long time to mock the people who wanted more time to debate a stimulus bill no one had read. Instead he took Pelosi’s word that it was needed and really stimulus. Stewart mocked the relationship with Ayers during the campaign and took the word of Obama about that relationship. Not just Stewart but the entire media is doing this, yet Cramer was singled out by Stewart. Why? Is it because Cramer was not reporting or is it now because Cramer is critical of the President’s plan? Stewart is little more than a shill for the Democratic Party and he knows it. The change in his program and his partner Stephen Colbert has been palpable. They are clearly out to be attack dogs and protect their President.
The fact that John Stewart can do that interview with the “righteous indignation” that he showed speaks volumes about his hypocrisy. There was a time when John Stewart went on CNN’s Crossfire and said that the constant bickering on that show was part of the problem. Well, now it is time to look in the mirror and realize that John Stewart is now part of the problem.

The Myth of Inclusivity

Several things have me thinking about “being inclusive”. The first is the ranting of Michael Steele, the New Chairman of the Republican National Committee. His desire to attract “one arm midgets” is a sign that he really has no business being the RNC chair. Just like all those who endorsed him such as Shawn Hannity, he does not understand the problem and thus cannot give the answer. The problem is not being inclusive of African-American, or women, or one arm midgets. The problem is not the need to include lots of different groups. The problem is that your message is not believed by enough people. Steele sees the RNC shrinking in Congress and thinks to himself we need to include more groups. When the answer is not to be inclusive but to bring people into your own group. Inclusive Big Tent parties have no union and fall apart to be worse than before. Teaching people the truth of your viewpoint unifies everyone and swells numbers.

But what really gets me is that this is the same mistake the "evangelical" church has been making for years. The problem with shrinking membership roles and declining levels of involvement of young people led many Evangelicals to try and be more inclusive. Some like the PCUSA and the United Methodist along with the United Churches of Christ tried to include women by letting them be elders and ministers and are now trying to include Homosexuals by letting them be members and soon will follow ordination. They could ask the Episcopal Church how that turned out, but they will do it anyway. Other churches that did not wish to compromise their doctrine turned to Seeker Sensitive worship services (pretending that did not change doctrine of course). They wanted to attract people through bands and ditching old hymns in favor of repetitive choruses among other things. They brought in people to the church in some cases, but did they make more Christians? Did they create a unified front with Christian Churches or did they simply sell the heritage of the church for a bowl of porridge. Take a look at the “Mega-Churches” out there today. Right their names down on a piece of paper and come back in ten years. Bill Hybels and the impressively large Willow Creek Church is already in decline, not to mention that a poll showed that something above 60% of their members felt they were not growing at church. Of course not. The church was built to attract people to church, not to actual be a church. People have seen enough and the fads of the culture have moved on. So the church will now decline unless it reinvents itself over and over and over. See the problem is that changing church and worship and doctrine to fit the culture to attract the culture, which is what inclusiveness is, you have one of two problems. One, you miss judged the culture and no one shows up. Or you get it right and you become a slave to the culture and their fads. Willow Creek is a thing of the past, their model for church is already outdated. Now it is the reign of Rick Warren and Saddleback or Joel Osteen in Houston. They are the new Mega-Churches. Ten years from now it will be someone else. Do you really think Saddleback will survive Rick Warren leaving? Or do you think it will still be popular when the Purpose Driven Logo has been put on everything? Does anyone still remember the Crystal Cathedral? That was the Mega-Church before Bill Hybels. It is now bankrupt and the father has fired his own son.

The problem of declining numbers is not to be answered by appealing to more people. The answer is to re-double efforts to convert people to your view. The RNC has a harder sell that Christianity, but the both have wandered off the path. The first thing to do when you find yourself in a hole is to stop digging. This means go back to what the Bible teaches. Go back to faithful worship and doctrine. Take seriously the things of the bible like training up your children, telling others of Christ, and living a life in conformity to His standards. Trying to "hip-hop" the gospel is not the answer. Living and teaching the gospel. That is the answer.

Forgotten Reformer: John Oecolampadius

It is time to meet another under appreciated Reformer: John Oecolampadius. John Oecolampadius was actually born John Heussgen, but as was a common practice among the educated elite during the Reformation, he took a Greek last name, Oecolampadius meaning "Light of the House". Oecolampadius was a learned man. First he studied law at Heidelberg, but then switched to Theology. He was very knowledgable in Greek and Hebrew. When he arrived as the cathedralpreacher in Basel in 1515, he was known for his skill in the languages. He aided Erasmus with much of his work at the University of Basel and the two were actually good friends.

Yet, Oecolampadius would travel a very different path than Erasmus. He did become Reformed. Basel was Romanist town when he arrived although a few ministers leaned towards the new doctrines. One had gotten married and had been thrown out of his pulpit by the Senate. Oecolampadius centered his sermons on the Atonement, and he began to draw large crowds. He overcame the opposition through public disputations and through occassional lectures at the University. The Senate then began to hire other men who favored the Reformed Gospel and now Oecolampadius had the upper hand. His teaching and preaching had changed the hearts of a city. His refusal to participate in festivals he considered unbiblical and his unparralleled skill in debate proved too much for the Romanists. Basel was basically reformed by 1525, even the married minister was re-hired thanks to Oecolampadius, but the town council delayed hoping to avoid trouble. The city would not officially declare for the Reformation until 1529 although all hirings done by the Senate met with the approval of Oecolampadius and were all of men who favored the Reformation.

Oecolampadius moved quickly to set up a Classis of ministers in Basel. The city itself had at least four major pulpits and several country pulpits were under the jursidiction and protection of Basel. Oecolampadius made sure that they met every year together to discuss the problems, encourage one another, and make sure that all who were preachers were up to the task. They had exams for the new comers and this helped elevate the educational level of the preahcers in the city. Oecolampadius was placed on the faculty of the University of Basel, and from there he taught the next generation of pastors of that city and others. Oecolampadius went with Zwingli to the Colloquy at Marburg where he defended Zwingli's view of the Lord's Supper against the view of Luther.

Sadly, the life of Oecolampadius ended in 1531. Basel would never again have someone of the quality of Oecolampadius, but it also never left the Reformation. That is how solidly Oecolampadius glued the feet of the city to the Rock that is Christ.

Newsweek: Attack on Christianity

Newsweek Magazine is easily the worst magazine ever written. Jon Meachem’s scholarship is laughable. His refusal to ever really engage arguments against his position makes him dishonest, discredited, and an all around shill for liberalism. That made the December issue of Newsweek interesting because it was supposed to take head-on the Biblical position against Homosexual Marriage. Meachem’s introductory letter shows that he can only dismiss and not refute. I won’t get into that as Christianity Today actually does a good job of showing the lack of logic in Meacham. Yet, one could still hold out hope for the cover story to really get into the meat of things. Well, let’s just say the people working for Meachem have patterned themselves after their fearful leader.

Lisa Miller, the religion editor no less, shows that she has no idea what the Bible teaches or where it teaches it. That is not good for a religion editor. She starts off her pro-gay marriage piece by pretending the Bible only teaches polygamy or is indifferent to marriage all together. She finds no direct teaching that marriage should be between a man and a woman? Seriously. She cannot find Genesis 2:21-24 which includes this: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh." The creation story is not hard to find, and you don’t even have to read very far into the Bible to find the story. God thought it was not good Adam was alone, so he made Eve and God brings Eve to Adam and creates marriage between one man and one woman. Newsweek mentions this verse somewhere in the middle, but dismisses it by saying that the Bible was written by men, not God. Maybe Newsweek should just have written a magazine on something they understood better. Instead, they focus on a few examples in the Bible of what they believe is the Bible teaching non-traditional marriage.

Miller quotes Abraham sleeping with Hagar as a poor example of marriage. Yet, Miller apparently forgets that Abraham is rebuked for his failure in his marriage, and his sexual SIN with Hagar started centuries of violence and hatred between the descendants of Ishmael (Arabs) and Isaac (Jews). A rather important point. She quotes David, but forgets he was rebuked in 2 Samuel 12 and never commits the sin of polygamy again after it. She quotes Solomon but forgets that he is led astray because of his wives and it was clearly a sin. She quotes Jacob, but forgets he was tricked into marring Leah, and it still is sin. Miller is able to avoid all of that because she refuses to acknowledge the standard set in the second chapter of the whole Bible. She takes historical narrative and refuses to apply the standards in place to that narrative. 2 Samuel assumes that you are familiar with the 10 Commandments, which are listed in previous books. But that does not aid Miller’s argument so she ignores it. She then goes on to claim that Jesus was indifferent to earthly attachments especially family. That whopper must have taken years of imagination to invent. Sure, Jesus preaches that we ought to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and the things above, but does this mean that all earthly things are indifferent or worse? Of course not. Jesus shows great family attachment even on the cross by making sure someone takes care of his mother. Jesus did not get married, but does that prove anything? No, of course not. Jesus had no problem healing Peter’s mother-in-law, which can only happen by marriage. He had no problem attending a wedding at Cana. He said the kingdom of heaven belonged to little children, which can only come through marriage. A point Jesus was very clear on. Such biblical ignorance from Miller is enough to disturb, not to mention undermine her point.

However, in fairness, she really rests her case on something else entirely. Love. Of course Miller has no idea of Biblical Love because she completely refuses to let the Bible define the term. Is homosexual activity really loving? The Bible does not think so. God says it is not. Some of you are probably wondering what Newsweek does with all the verses condemning homosexuality. Well, they are thrown out the door with the idea of modern progress.

Most of us no longer heed Leviticus on haircuts or blood sacrifices; our modern understanding of the world has surpassed its prescriptions. Why would we regard its condemnation of homosexuality with more seriousness than we regard its advice, which is far lengthier, on the best price to pay for a slave?

First, these are not the only places where homosexuality is condemned contrary to Miller’s assertion. Second, we cannot throw out the law that easily. Reformed Confessions for centuries have talked about moral laws, ceremonial laws, and judicial laws, but such understanding is brushed aside by Miller as pointless. We can just ignore that part of the Bible. Why? Because Miller wants to have things her way and not God’s way. She even goes so far as to quote Miss Manners as a better authority than God.
Miller goes on to use the love and inclusiveness argument to push for gay marriage.

The practice of inclusion, even in defiance of social convention, the reaching out to outcasts, the emphasis on togetherness and community over and against chaos, depravity, indifference—all these biblical values argue for gay marriage.

Here we see that Miller again misses the point. Jesus is not arguing for inclusion. He is arguing for repentance. Yes, Christians are to reach out to the outcasts, the depraved, and even homosexuals. But the message Christ reaches out to them with is not “You are okay, come be a part of the community”, the message is "Repent and believe." Thus, the inclusion is based on the unity of repentance and belief in Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. This rules out the idea of staying homosexual since that is a sin that needs to be repented of, despite the throwing away of bible verses done earlier in the article.

This whole article is an example of what "liberal Christianity" really is: a complete and total rejection of the Bible. The people at Newsweek have trouble seeing that some people really believe their Bible. That is a laughable suggestion to the people at this horrible magazine, but it is what we Bible Believers should start expecting. To be called names, mocked, and yes even persecuted. Following the Good Book is not easy. It is not going to get us in good with Sean Penn and the Academy Awards, and Newsweek will hate you, but the pleasure of the King of Kings is all that should matter.

Something interesting to ponder

Why on earth is this not being reported? Obama returns Churchill bust.

This sounds like a fairly newsworthy development. Only in the UK is it actually making the news. Another commentary on the sad state of our news industry.

Presidential Rankings by C-Span

C-Span has put out another ranking of Presidents by 65 Historians. I always enjoy looking at these and wondering how bad our educational system has become. This list is not that different than other lists. Lincoln is first, which alone is enough to make me sick. Washington did beat out FDR for second, but the list is a joke. George W. Bush is 36 and his father rankings 18th. Hard to believe in either case. What makes it worse is that U. S. Grant is ranked 23rd! Are you kidding me? Buchanan comes in last with Andrew Johnson just in front of him.

The answer to these ridiculous rankings is seen when we look at two factors. The voters and the qualifications.

When I first looked at the list of participants I got a little excited as such historians as H.W. Brands and Edward Crapol participated. But a closer look unveils two major problems. For every early American specialist like Willard Sterne Randall there are at least two Civil War historians like Brooks Simpson (former Wofford Professor!!!) and Debra Goodrich, not to mention Andrew Ferguson and James McPherson. In other words, one can expect a high ranking for the Civil War guys and a downgrading of the Founders of America. The other major problem is the addition of Larry Sabato. C-Span must think he is either the greatest man in America or they think we are all idiots. Sabato is Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia. He is not a historian. And he is extraordinarily biased. I admit that all people are biased, but a guy who writes books entitled The Sixth Year Itch: The Rise and Fall of the George W. Bush Presidency, Divided States of America: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election and also writes a political newsletter, not to mention that he worked for Democratic politicians before becoming a professor is clearly over the line. This list then will be completely slanted by Sabato’s liberal left-wing agenda.

The second problem is the areas in which these presidents are ranked. We see things like Moral Authority, Administrative Skills, Vision, and International Relations, which I guess are legitmate. We see the Performance withint the Context of Their Times, which is kind of weird, but I can let it go. Public Persuasion is easier in modern times, but I will give that one a pass as well. Crisis Leadership is going to benefit those who were in a crisis. This may explain why George H.W. Bush gets so high, but this category does little to help poor Millard Fillmore who did not have a crisis to deal with. Then there are couple of categories that are outright biased. Pursued Equal Justice for All is going to slight every President before the Civil War. Economic Management is going to favor liberals and hurt early American Presidents who thought Economic Management to be unconstitutional. Then of course we have the Relations with Congress category. Andrew Johnson is dead last in this category, but is it bad that he fought the Radical Republicans? Sometimes an adversarial relationship with Congress is a sign of a good President not a bad one. Then of course we can wonder why Fidelity to the Constitution is not one of the categories.

Thus when we see the internal bias in the poll, we can understand why the results are so obviously wrong. We can see why FDR (3rd) is so high because people give him credit (wrongfully I might add) for the economy and for crisis management because of WWII. Kennedy (6th) and LBJ (12th) get artificial bumps for Pursuing Justice for All while Jefferson (7th) and Washington (2nd) take hits on that same category. Both of those men are outside the top ten in that particular category. Bill Clinton (15th) in fact is ranked higher than Washington in the Justice For All Category and in the Economic Management he comes in third. It is hard to take seriously a survey that puts Grant and Clinton two of the most corrupt politicians in the top 25 but consigns the only other President even close to as corrupt, Warren Harding, at 38. Clinton is 37th in the Moral Authority beating out Harding, but Grant manages to remain in the top 25. Can you imagine how high Clinton would be if Moral Authority were not a category?

A truly bizarre list. Worthy of noting and then tossing in the trash can.

Pirates in 09

On Friday the Pitchers and Catchers are required to be in camp for the Pittsburgh Pirates in what ought to be an encouraging year for the club. Now, I do think that they will miss out on the playoffs this year unless they can grab a wildcard on account of other teams folding up with injuries, but it should be a year where they can reach .500 winning percentage. Next year will be the year they win the World Series or at least the NL. The first of a long line of championship seasons.

The thing to watch in camp is the pitchers. Only one starting rotation spot is set with Paul Malholm having that spot. Ian Snell, Tom Grozelanny, Zack Duke, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, and Phil Dumatrait competing for the remaining four spots. Dumatrait was the best of that group in 2007 before he missed the rest of the season with an injury. Word is that he will probably even start this season on the DL rather than in the bullpen. He will probably take a second spot once he recovers. Ian Snell has not been promised a spot on the rotation, but he is making more money than the others, so I think he is likely in as well. If he would throw inside, he could be a great pitcher. The new pitching coach ought to be able to help Ian out and getting him back to top of the rotation status. This year’s success in my mind is attached to Ian Snell. If he has a bounce back year the Pirates are in good shape. If not, then they are going to be off to another slow start and the gloom will set in. Zack Duke is also making over a million dollars this season so it is hard to imagine him in Triple A, but his performance for years has been sub-par. I think he will be the message sent to players this year. If he does not earn it in camp, I think he will be sent down. McCutchen is too young, they won’t take a chance on him. Ohlendorf and Karstens are the two wild cards. They have great talent and if they can live up to part of that this year, then the Pirates will do well. Tom Grozelanny needs to regain his 14 win form in order to make the club. Another person to watch. I am not sure he will make it back.

The bullpen is also in flux, which is why I think they will miss the playoffs. Matt Cappas is the closer. Tyler Yates and John Grabow are the right and left hand short guys. I assume also that Sean Burrnett will make the team as lefties only hit .171 against him last year. That gives them another lefty in the pen and a middle distance kind of guy. The rest is up in the air. They picked up Donald Veal from the Cubs in a Rule 5 draft, which means they have to put him on the team or the Cubs could take him back. They did this last year with Evan Meek and put him on the team despite his obviously not being ready. I think they will do the same with Veal. Meek could make the team again. Craig Hansen was traded for, but really showed he was not so good. If he does not make the team, he is out of options, which means he will go on waviers. That would fill the roster, but I doubt Meek will make the team, so at least one more spot is open. Also Hansen could be one of those examples because he was really, really, bad last year.

The starting line up actually looks really good. The Pirates have Doumit and McClouth returning from great seasons. They still have Jack Wilson who can .300 as can a now healthy Freddy Sanchez. Nyjer Morgan looks ready for the Big Leagues and other outfielder Brandon Moss hit well from them last year after coming over from the Red Sox. The two LaRoche brothers at 1st and 3rd are the question marks. Will Adam continue starting slower than a car out of gas? Will Adam’s off-season swing change help him actually be able to hit the ball? Those are big questions. Thankfully, both have answers beneath them in the organization. The Pirates did sign Eric Hinske in the off season, and he can play either of those positions along with corner outfield. He will also add power from the bench, which has been missing. Neil Walker will be waiting in Triple A at 3rd and Steven Pierce will be a possible back up at 1st and the corner outfield spot from either Triple A or on the bench. It will be interesting where they put him. Back up catcher has a back log of talent. They got Jason Jaramillo in an off season trade for Ronnie Paulino, not to mention the star catcher from Triple A last year and the trade after the deadline that sent Jose Bautista to Toronto last year. Three catchers and one spot is a good problem to have.

In the end, the Pirates have the offense to compete. And they have the talent in the starting rotation, the question is will they put it together. Each year the start from the previous year has collapsed under the weight of being the ace. First it was Duke, then it was Snell, last year Grozelanny did not even stay with the big leagues he stunk it up so bad. This year it is Malholm. He has to respond. And one of the previous fallen aces has to return to form. They have plenty of other guys waiting with talent, but shuffling people around to find out who is going to perform is a recipe for a bad year. They need to get it right in Spring Training. The bullpen will fail them this year as well. They are putting together some arms down there, but they are not there yet. Too many Rule 5 picks to fill holes in the pen. That is a bad sign.

This year the Pirates have to find out who is big league material on their pitching staff. If they can do that this year, then next year the sky is the limit.

Obama against the Religion

We have now seen how President Obama views faith. We can put aside the idea that he is a new kind of candidate and a Democrat with religious values. All that has been proven to be false now. The President’s stimulus bill contains a provision to forbid the money going to any school that allows "religious worship" or contains a "divinity school". The point of the bill for me is not about discrimination. It is about trying to drive Christianity out of education. It is about giving people and incentive to get rid of ‘religious’ views.

This of course ties back in perfectly with what Candidate Obama said on the campaign trail. We no know exactly what he meant when he said, "Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religious-specific, values." What he meant was that religious specific language and teaching would not be tolerated in a Democracy.

Thus, I was right earlier about his new language just being a new attempt to keep religion out of politics. I did fail to see that he wants to keep religion out of everything. Now I know.