Depressing news... or a Wake-up call?

Lots of discussion on this article recently.... The coming evangelical collapse. "Evangelicalism doesn't need a bailout. Much of it needs a funeral."

Also see Ken Schenck's post on the above

The Coming Evangelical Collapse (2): What Will Be Left?

The Coming Evangelical Collapse (3): Good or Bad?

The ARIS Study: Christianity On The Decline In America


This is a response to recent articles on “the coming evangelical collapse."

How Fast Is America Losing Faith?

After America ended state support of churches in the early 19th century, the collection of "tithes and offerings" became a standard feature of Sunday morning worship.

Amazing and sobering charts: Click on the various groups: .Shifting Religious Identities See how U.S. religious landscape has changed in nearly 2 decades -

Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Among Christians over the Past 13 Years

Survey: Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold "Biblical Worldview"

The Associated Press: More Americans say they have no religion

Survey Offers In-Depth Look at Mainline Protestant Clergy

"It looks like the two-party system of American Protestantism--mainline versus evangelical--is collapsing," said Mark Silk, director of the Public Values Program. "A generic form of evangelicalism is emerging as the normative form of non-Catholic Christianity in the United States."American Religious Identification Survey 2008


The Other Side of Church Growth Philip Jenkins says we need a theology of church extinction.

News of interest 3/6/09

James Dobson Steps Down as Focus on the Family Chairman
http://www2.focusonthefamily.com/press/pressreleases/A000001313.cfm

Dan Busby (former Wesleyan Treasurer) new president of EFCA -- The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
http://www.christianpost.com/Ministries/Groups/2009/03/evangelical-council-for-financial-accountability-names-new-head-04/index.html

GUM (Gospel to the Unreached Millions) kicked out of ECFA
http://www.ministrywatch.com/pdf/MWDA_050505_GUM.pdf

John Maddex left the Willow Creek Church to become Orthodox ".
John Maddex left the Willow Creek Church to become an Orthodox "convert". John is the founder of Ancient Faith Radio in Chicago. He left a 40 year career as a broadcast director at Moody radio and Focus on the Family. Evangelical conversion to Orthodoxy is a growing trend. http://audio.ancientfaith.com/illuminedheart/IH-jm.mp3


Research funded on Holy Spirit.
A Los Angeles-based university was awarded a $6.9 million grant to establish a Pentecostal and charismatic research center in the birthplace city of American Pentecostalism. http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/news/19018-holy-spirits-reach-studied

UMC Launches 'Sex and the Church' Series
Lenten Series to address hot topics . http://www.christianpost.com/church/Denomination/2009/02/umc-to-launch-sex-and-the-church-series-25/index.html

Thanks again to alert reader Wes McCallum for most of the above.

Recent News of intrest to Christians (2/23)

Once again thanks to alert reader Wes McCallum for feeding so many stories my way..here are 10 prominent recent ones:

1. Four Out of Five Adults Now Use the Internet
184 Million adults are online from their homes, offices, schools or other locations. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=973


2. Americans Pick Obama as Personal Hero; Jesus Comes Second http://www.christianpost.com/Society/Polls_reports/2009/02/americans-pick-obama-as-personal-hero-jesus-comes-second-21/index.html and also here http://www.harrisinteractive

3. Poll: Only 3 Percent of Teens See Clergy as Role Models http://www.christianpost.com/Society/Polls_reports/2009/02/poll-only-3-percent-of-teens-see-clergy-as-role-models-18/index.html

4. Almost Three in Five Americans Are Wine Buyers Almost six in ten Americans (58%) are wine buyers while 39% say they never buy a bottle of wine. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris

5. PCUSA Marks 500th Calvin Anniversary with Release of Documentary http://www.christianpost.com/Education/Theology/2009/02/pcusa-marks-500th-calvin-anniversary-with-release-of-documentary-19/index.html
Calvin is not a Reformed idol as some in and around his century turned out to be. Lutherans adore Martin Luther. Methodist hearts are strangely warmed by John Wesley. Anglicans even have a sardonic fondness for Henry VIII. But Presbyterians are uncertain about John Calvin and his legacy.

6. Christianity Today Launches Small-Group Leaders Website http://www.christianpost.com/church/General/2009/02/christianity-today-launches-small-group-leaders-website-18/index.html also see http://www.smallgroups.com

7. Over 31,000 Americans to Handwrite Next NIV Bible
http://www.christianpost.com/Ministries/Groups/2008/10/over-31-000-americans-to-handwrite-next-niv-bible-01/index.html

8. Pastors or Personalities?
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/02/scot_mcknight_w.html

9. 'Mary' Movie Aims for Easter 2010 Release"...the upcoming film would not be a Christmas movie...
"http://www.christianpost.com/Entertainment/Movie/News/2009/02/-mary-movie-aims-for-easter-2010-release-14/index.html

10. Survey: Are You an Arminian and Don't Even Know It?
http://evangelicalarminians.com/Are_You_an_Arminian_and_Don%27t_Even_Know_It%3F

News of interest to me

Thanks again to Wes McCallum's sharp eye..these are some of the news articles he sends to me that has special interest for me:

Crystal Cathedral Lays Off Staff, Sells Land

Young musicians are committed to writing modern hymns with timeless truths everyone can sing.

Church of England Moves Forward with Plans for Women Bishops

Publisher Recalls Encyclopedia for Being 'Too Christian'

Anglicans Seek Extended Moratorium on Gay Bishops

Orthodox Anglicans Don't Expect Unity for Long

Many Christians Claim extra-biblical Spiritual Gifts

Coral Ridge Pastor Decision Rides on Church Merger Talks

White House: First Couple Still Looking for Church

Society of Evangelical Arminians

recent news of interest

Wes McCallum from New Your state is always up to date on the latest Christian news and send me several links every week so I can stay on top of what's happening.  I thought I'd post here the recent links he sent... just in case you want to use his finely tuines pre-reading and sorting of the volumne:  

1. Memo to Worship Bands
Five sound reasons to lower the volume.At what point does the evangelical identity cease to be "Protestant"? By the time church music matured ... in the 16th century, it had become too demanding and ornate for ordinary singers. So Christians went to church to listen to a priest and a choir.   The Protestant Reformation yanked musical worship away from the professionals and put it back in the pews.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/february/14.50.html?start=

2. Report: Top 10 Most Religious States in America

http://www.christianpost.com/Society/Polls_reports/2009/02/report-top-10-most-religious-states-in-america-02/index.html

3. WESLEYAN NEWS: Dean Promotes Socially Engaged Spirituality

Evangelicals studying for ministry are less likely than those in other Christian traditions to make connections between their personal experience of spirituality and the wider social sphere. http://www.wesleyan.org/doc/news_article_r1?id=149

4. TV HIT HARD BY RECESSION. 

http://www.christianpost.com/church/Megachurches/2009/02/televangelism-empire-hit-hard-by-recession-family-split-01/index.html  

5. George Beverly Shea celebrates 100th Birthday: February 1, 2009

Born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, Shea was one of eight children of a Wesleyan Church minister and his wife. He began singing in the church choir in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His family later moved to Upstate New York and from there, he went on to work in commercial radio. 

Interview of Bev Shea's conversion at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa. )he calls it a "Methodist" church ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS5-YJacjaI

http://www.christianpost.com/Entertainment/Figures/2009/01/graham-soloist-george-bevely-shea-to-celebrate-100th-birthday-31/index.html

6. Time for a NEW WORLD ORDER: PM

"Neo-liberalism and the free-market fundamentalism it has produced has been revealed as
little more than personal greed dressed up as an economic philosophy.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/time-for-a-new-world-order-pm/2009/01/30/1232818725574.html 

7, Armenian Orthodox Christology - AOL Video -- 6 min.

High vs. Low Christology
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/armenian-orthodox-christology/45575684/?icid=VIDURVANI07 

8. Crystal Cathedral Lays Off Staff, Sells Land
http://christianpost.com/church/Megachurches/2009/01/crystal-cathedral-lays-off-staff-sells-land-27/index.html 

Thanks Wes!!!!

Gay leaders furious with Obama

Oh Oh-- Obama asked Rick Warren to pray ... and that has made gay leaders furious.

A Speech worth reading 30 years later

Excerpts from a speech worth reading 30 years later...

I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. I do not mean our political and civil liberties. They will endure. And I do not refer to the outward strength of America, a nation that is at peace tonight everywhere in the world, with unmatched economic power and military might. The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our Nation.
…The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.
…
In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.
…
The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next 5 years will be worse than the past 5 years. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. The productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world.
...
As you know, there is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions. This is not a message of happiness or reassurance, but it is the truth and it is a warning.
…
We remember when the phrase "sound as a dollar" was an expression of absolute dependability, until 10 years of inflation began to shrink our dollar and our savings. We believed that our Nation's re sources were limitless until 1973, when we had to face a growing dependence on foreign oil.

...
Looking for a way out of this crisis, our people have turned to the Federal Government and found it isolated from the mainstream of our Nation's life. Washington, D.C., has become an island. The gap between our citizens and our Government has never been so wide. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual.
...
What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well financed and powerful special interests. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends.
...
I. What can we do?
First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this Nation. Restoring that faith and that confidence to America is now the most important task we face. It is a true challenge of this generation of Americans.
...
The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our Nation. These are facts and we simply must face them. What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important.

...
So, the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country. It can rekindle our sense of unity, our confidence in the future, and give our Nation and all of us individually a new sense of purpose.
Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence. We can spend until we empty our treasuries, and we may summon all the wonders of science. But we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources -- America's people, America's values, and America's confidence.

…Excerpts from Jimmy Carter's "Malaise Speech" --1979
Full text here

Newsweek shoots self in foot

Newsweek's poorly written cover story promoting Gay marriage by trashing Evangelicals use of the Bible should embarrass them. Did this writer ever study our hermeneutic? Gee whiz, what nonsense! I don't need to reply since Christianity Today already trashed the trasher. If Newsweek's writers did such a sloppy job of research on politics you'd fire them. C'mon Newsweek enter a serious conversation about the Bible and marriage and leave off the editorial mud-slinging posing as a serious article about the Bible.

Dear McCain & Dear Obama (Part 1--economy)

Whichever one of you gets elected next week you have a tough job ahead of you… and it will be impossible to satisfy everyone, including me. This morning I thought a little a bout what it would take to please me… what if you actually seriously asked me for advice? Here is my economic advice:

1. Stabilize the economy.
America is collapsing economically like the old Soviet Union did... job one for you is to try to stem the spiral. Frankly it will take several years and your first years as President will be tough ones.

2. Raise Taxes.
That’s right—I want you to raise taxes so we can operate government on a pay-as-you-go basis. Both of you promise to reduce taxes and that only means you are going to go further into debt to pay for our profligate living. When governments does something (ANYthing from a medicate drug benefit to a war in Iraq) we should pay for it not borrow for it. I don’t like taxes any more than the next guy, but I like debt even worse. Borrowing for these things while cutting our taxes only sends us further into a downward spiral. I also know we can’t cut our way into a balanced budget. Both of you are wrong to pretend that you can cut wasteful spending and balance the budget. That would be like a family going into debt by a thousand dollars a month trying to balance their budget by saving leftovers after dinner. They should save leftovers and you should cut waste, but it is not enough. Raise taxes to pay for what we are already spending… that may mean adding $2500 per taxpayer annually for the war in Iraq—but when governments spends we should have to pay. Either don’t do it or pay for it as we go. For now we’ve got to pay catch-up-taxes for squandering money while pretending we can reduce taxes. That is a recipe for American collapse. Pay as we go.

3. Cut Retirement benefits.
I am a boomer and my generation has spent wildly on war and government handouts o farmers or retired people. The huge welfare we used to give to the poor has been replaced by huge welfare we now give to agri-business, corporations, and the rich and middle class. We boomers have funded these wars and handouts by borrowing instead of paying, passing the bill on to the next generation. Now we are about to retire and make the greatest raid of all as we suck down trillions on Social Security and Medicare benefits. We boomers don’t deserve this and it is wrong for the government to borrow more money from China and Saudi Arabia to pay for it—the emerging generations will have to pay this back with interest. You have got to have the backbone to declare an emergency… freeze Social security payments for five years and change how this welfare-for-oldsters are given in the future: move the retirement age o 70, 72 or later. Refuse to pay Social Security when people are still working. Means test Social security—meaning people who have a million dollars in the bank can’t get it—face it Social security isn’t a pension—it’s welfare. You have got to cut these entitlements to boomers or the coming generations will have to work two jobs: one to live on and one to support the retired boomers living it up on debt-funded welfare payments from the. C’mon—stand up and cut social security and Medicare in your first year…we have an emergency at hand and you might get away with it. If you don’t, so what—it needs done. Do it soon before boomers retire, for after we get on the welfare dole we’ll scream bloody murder… do it now and most boomers will just work another five years—which we should anyway to pull our weight at least to pay down the debt we built up the last eight years for the Iraq war and the recent bailouts. C’mon, we need a strong leader who is willing to lead this massive change in Social security.

Thanks John & Obama for listening… as you can see I am a fiscal conservative: I think government should live within its means and refuse to pretend we can have tax cuts while squandering billions as we hand the bill to the coming generations. I teach the coming generation and it just isn;t fair.



I’ll continue my advice in other areas next… but this is my economic advice. I hope you take it.



keith drury

Has Palin announced the new evangelical view on Homosexuals?

Among the noise and wink-counting of last night’s Vice Presidential debate was a short interchange that could redefine the evangelical position on homosexual couples. When asked about treatment of gay couples Sarah Palin went out of her way to announce how tolerant she was, reminding us of the diversity of her extended family and perhaps hinting once again at her 30-year best-friend relationship with a gay person. She had told Couric ""One of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years who happens to be gay and I love her dearly. And she is not my gay friend. She is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I would have made."

Sarah Palin is the darling of most evangelicals because she is clearly “one of us.” Who can't watch the Youtube videos of her in her home church without saying, “She understands evangelical churches.” But what will evangelicals like James Dobson do with her expressed view last night-essentially the same as the Obama and Biden (No marriage but legal contracts, visiting rights and an attitude of full tolerance).

Here is my question. If Sarah Palin’s position goes largely unchallenged will it trigger a quiet shift in evangelical position on homosexuality to her own approach:

Is this the new Palin-influenced evangelical Position?

1. While we don’t choose the homosexual lifestyle we are tolerant of those who do and can have homosexuals as dear friends.

2. While we don’t want to redefine marriage we are willing to have civil unions between gay couples and grant them the rights to insurance and other benefits like visiting in the hospital and inheriting property from their gay partner.

Will evangelicals like Dobson challenge Palin on this or will they keep quiet on this issue in order to get the Republican ticket elected but in that process "ratify by silence" her actual position of gay tolerance and support of civil unions/contracts?

We'll see in the next few days.

Credit meltdown

Today I went to the bank and withdrew enough hundred dollar bills to cover the next year's worth of food purchases. I didn't hide it under my mattress though--I put it in a safe deposit box. Am I over-reacting? We'll see soon enough.

keith drury

You may not know it but Obama often asks my advice on things. Really! I get an email from him or Jabbering Joe Biden almost every day. At first I thought is was simply because I donated some cash to Obama when his chances of actually getting nominated were zero (or less)… but actually he keeps asking for my input so I’m taking him seriously. Here is my most recent advice:

Thanks Barak for asking for advice. I only have one suggestion: in October persuade Joe Biden to drop out as your Veep and name Sarah Palin as his replacement. Her view on guns, abortion and teaching creation in the schools would then balance your own views on these subjects. You say we should try to find compromises on these things—then do it with Palin—if you two can figure out a compromise many of the rest of us might buy it. There are political benefits too. The Hillarywomen who want a woman no-matter-what-her-views might come back.

You are a lot alike, I think. You were both relatively unknown until you spoke at your party’s convention. You both have minor experience, and you are both great speech-makers. But you agree with Sarah a lot more than you would admit. Sarah tripled taxes on Big Bad Oil in Alaska and gave the money back to the people—just like you want to do. She has a great energy policy—herself! She is so packed with energy and you seem to be wearing out recently. She’d give your campaign a real boost in energy when you need it. While you both have minor experience in international policies most if us regular folk remember that people-with-lots-of-experience are the ones who got us into this mess. Maybe it is time for people who know less to lead more.

But as I said above my biggest reason for you to dump Biden and pick Palin is to prove you really mean what you say about unifying the country and “working across the aisle with Republicans.” Palin would give you a Republican voice right there in the White House at the table. You’d have to do what you want to do—bring us together. Make Palin your Cheney. It is the dream ticket—A black and a woman… the ultimate diversity ticket! Some of us would vote for a Obama-Palin ticket just for fun—we’re getting tired of American Idol.

I’m gonna’ print up some Obama-Palin bumper stickers to try to help you get the ball rolling. Also I’ll do some others saying., “Bump Biden-Pick Palin” stickers too. I hope you will take my advice... since you asked for it. It would be change we can believe in!

Having fun in this season of negative campaigning ;-)
--keith drury

My buddies in Pennsylvania Swoon for Sarah

I was raised in Pennsylvania where they always dismissed school the first day of hunting season and questioned one's patriotism if you did not take up a gun and go out into the woods to try to shoot a deer. Guys who went to the woods with guns got respect. But there were a few guys who got even greater respect—the guys who had persuaded their wives or girlfriends to go with them. Most women I was raised around passed on carrying guns into the woods to shoot a deer then carving it up with blood splattering on their clothing. But when a guy could talk his woman into joining the crew he was king. Men would quietly ask him the secret, “How’d you get your woman to come out here?”

This is why most of my old union-member buddies in Pennsylvania have switched party loyalty in the last few weeks. They are not sure they want Sarah Palin as Vice President but they are sure they would like her as a wife. When the first day of hunting rolls around this fall they plan to mention her to their wives—“Well, dear Sarah Palin raises five kids, runs the entire state of Alaska, runs for Vice president and still goes hunting and field dresses her own kill—wanna’ go with me this year?” It’s fun to see my old Democrat Union members swooning for Sarah. But their swooning seems to have more to do with what they want from their wife than their government.

So I'm dropping Sarah a note suggesting she take a day off from campaigning this fall to go shoot a moose--making sure they get pictures of her carving up the bloody carcass.... my union buddies will vote for her enmasse... and that could determine the election's outcome in Pennsylvania, which could determine the outcome in the nation.

Demo convention notes--Monday

Keith Drury
Having nothing much else to do I am watching the Democrat convention tonight... my notes:

-Is Nancy Peloski a warm-blooded creature? She comes across to me as a cold metal machine... perhaps that helps in her job?

-Gee, Jimmy carter didn't get to make even a short speech... I guess he's too old now... he and his wife did smile big though while they played Georgia (the state, not the country).

-Obama's sister followed her script in an alto voice and told how her older brother took her to the zoo, or library or somewhere I forgot.

-Jesse Jackson (the son, not the dad) got some juices flowing. HA! He called for a government in Washington that is as good and decent as the average American--HA, and old Ronald Reagan line! JesseJr doesn't smile much but he can give a better speech than his dad.

-During the musical interludes some 'really get into it" and clap and wiggle or even get to half-dance or join in the singing. Others sit glumly staring into space as if they are totally bored our of their gourd or think the music is totally juvenile. Just like most churches. (Ad just like most churches the music went too long.)

-The house-building habitat-like video was pretty much like any service video done by large churches.

-Indiana's Mike Fisher is now telling how Obama and Michelle came to his house for a "pastoral call" just to listen to him... boy, Mike is one big buffalo of a guy, but his wife didn't have much to say. He was followed by some union type bruiser from Illinois but nobody paid much attention to him; now comes some more praise choruses...

-I remember Caroline Kennedy when she was a toddler...she's now praising Teddy who is probably going to speak next... I'm getting bored with this, I think I'll do something else now...

O'Biden

Well the wait is over and the text messages have been sent--Biden is Obama's running mate.

I have always considered Biden a blowhard. But to me he's a likable blowhard--like the uncle many of us have who talks too much, brags about his hunting trips and always has to be the center of attention at family gatherings. He's a 'Happy warrior" kind of politician, kind of like Hubert Humphrey was. I was impressed at how fast this 65 year old guy leaped up those steps when Obama introduced him though. And he has the nicest smile when he's knifing his buddy McCain.

I don't suppose it will matter much and we won't be hearing much about him except when he shoots of his mouth and says something stupid--which he certainly will--anyone who talks that much "oout of his head" always says something stupid. (I know)

But in a curious way this is what I like that about the old goof--he's not so completely scripted that he recites everything like it was prepared by his people.

What surprised me in this fall campaign when the "other side" is always demonized was the remark by my own Republican Senator, Dick Lugar.
"I congratulate Senator Barack Obama on his selection of my friend, Senator Joe Biden, to be his vice-presidential running mate. I have enjoyed for many years the opportunity to work with Joe Biden to bring strong bipartisan support to United States foreign policy."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? This doesn't fit the slamming by the spinners on MSNBC, CNN & [especially] Fox... why? The answer may be as simple as this: Lugar, near the end of his public career has risen above childish name-calling party politics. It is certainly a classy statement from someone in the "opposite" party.

Then again maybe Lugar is more shrewd than mature. What about this:
1. Lugar is on his last term in the senate.
2. Lugar is the most qualified person in the US to be secretary of state.
3. Obama has promised to name some Republicans to his cabinet.


Hmmmmmm... Well, Obama sends me personal emails and text messages all the time. So I'm replying to his recent text message suggesting that he name Lugar SecOfState instead of Hillary. ;-)

(But to hedge my bet, I am also going to text McCain too--but alas, he doesn't do Txt Msgs... so I'm learning Morse code. ;-)


--keith drury

Activist Supreme Court Strikes DC Gun Law

Just like a liberal-tilting Supreme Court did when finding a “right to privacy” for women to kill their own fetuses, yesterday's conservative-leaning court has enshrined the right for you and me to own a handgun.

D.C. (and several other local governments) had decided that nobody could have handguns while in their city now must permit us all to have one “to protect our homes.” Just like laws banning abortion became “unconstitutional” years ago, now any laws banning handgun-ownership are also “unconstitutional.” (These laws did not apply to rifles and shotguns—my shotgun has always been enough for me to "protect my home" so it doesn’t affect me--I don't own a handgun.)

There are still some kinks to be worked out. It is not clear if toting a handgun to work, bringing a handgun into the college dorm or classrooms , or carrying one in my car while driving can be outlawed—but it is clear now—I can have all the handguns I want --at least in my home if I live in D.C.

Will this newly found personal right to bear arms (it had been widely considered a right for the milita) get more people get killed?—you bet… just like readily available abortion means more fetuses are killed. Freedom costs.

In America we are often willing to trade away the safety of some if it gives freedom to all. Fetuses are killed because we preserve the "mother's right to choose" and with the freedom to have handgunsmore people will get killed too no doubt.

But the Supreme Court is more about preserving rights than preserving life. That’s how Americans like it. It seems that both liberal courts and conservative ones act alike on this matter.
---------


Now, about those motorcycle helmet laws… the court says we have the “constitutional right” to kill fetuses and own handguns no matter what the law says… certainly somewhere in the constitution they can find a “right” for us to bash in our own head on a motorcycle won't they? Heh heh heh



Keith Drury

Home prices plummet and I'm happy?!

USA Today reported yesterday that home prices continue to fall and nationally they are now down 15.3%.

We are supposed to consider this “bad,” I know—that’s what every report tells us to think. (And it has hit me personally too—I just closed this morning on selling a house —and I sold it for $6000 less than I bought it for five years ago.) Americans aren’t used to losing money on our homes—we consider inflated values an entitlement.

In my opinion plummeting housing values have a good side.
Here’s why I think this:

1. Much of the last ten year’s gain was just a bubble anyway. It wasn’t real value—but just frothy folk willing to pay too much for homes (including myself five years ago)

2. Banks need punished. They went way out on a limb to loan money to bad-risk zero-down people who made no investment, so they were really “renting” more than buying. Now when these poor people walk away from their non-investment home and the banks get hung out to dry… well, banks who make poor loans deserve to get hung out—so you rich bankers who criticize anyone on personal welfare, now take your lumps and don’t cry for a government bail-out. This might teach banks to be more cautious—which should be a chief quality of bankers.

3. BUT HERE’S THE BEST PART. As prices plummet the emerging generations can soon afford to buy homes. Collapsing home values will be a great wealth transfer from older generations to the younger ones—we lose when we sell homes but they win! Since boomers have been squandering the environment and money, piling up a huge national debt for the emergent generations to pay off later paying for our wars and the Bush tax breaks from borrowed money, and gave ourselves Social security checks starting at 65 even while we are still working, and at the same time we used up natural resources at a frenzied pace to support our extravagant lifestyles.. I think it is only fair that we lose more value in our houses so these youngsters coming along who have to pay back our high debt can at least buy our houses cheap.

SO I EXPECT EVEN GREATER DECLINE (and welcome it on behalf of the emerging generations). The Economist predicts a decline of up to 40% still coming...which will merely get the home values graph trend back on tract with where it has been since the 1940’s--the bubble is bursting.

So to you youngsters who are stuck living in with your folks...your first house is just around the corner—and for a lot less than the people paid for it when they bought it.

Consider it our gift to you—to help you pay down the outrageous national debt we are leaving for you to pay off…

[Boomers are going to hate me for this!] ;-)

--keith Drury

Pondering on energy

Big Oil (and the Bush administration) seems to have only one song to solve the price of oil... "Drill-ANWR, Drill-ANWR, Drill-ANWR, drill the national Arctic Wildlife Refuge," though they sometimes add a second verse, "Drill offshore."

The supply-and-demand logic is simple: Produce more oil and the supply will go up and thus the price will go down in a fixed demand market. It is simplistic enough logic to get by on talk radio or brainless TV shows. And it flies with many folk of whom the old saying may be true, "If it takes two sentences to explain a thing it is too complicated for most Americans."

Here are my thought about drilling ANWR or opening up more offshore drilling sites:

1. I applaud both McCain and Obama for opposing drilling ANWR. I know we will some day figure out a way to get that oil, but I'm biased toward the next generations not my own--leaving it there for them to get is just fine with me--its like money in the bank and might be a bit of restitution for the way boomer government has borrowed trillions for war and tax cuts for themselves and left behind the debt for the next generations to pay off. At least we can leave some oil in their ground for them.

2. As to more offshore drilling I ask Big Oil, "So if more permissions to drill are the answer, why not drill the several thousand sites you already got Bush's permission to drill in?" I think Big Oil just wants permissions because it is an automatic "money in the bank" for them--they can the list these reserves as an asset on their balance sheet even if they don't drill for decades. If they really believed drilling was the solution then why aren't they drilling the new sites where they already have permission?

3. Refineries are where the present crunch is. And nobody sees Big Oil building new refinery capacity do we? I honestly think they LIKE high oil prices and increasing supply would only lower prices--why would they want to do that? It is like Indiana where our gas prices are higher than most of the rest of the nation--why? Partly because Indiana does not tax gas per gallon (like the federal government does) but sticks a 6 PERCENT sales tax on the price--that means every time the price of a gallon of gas goes up Indiana gets more money-- 6% of 1.50 was only 9 cents... but now 6% of $4.00 is 24 cents. The Indiana state governor, Mitch Daniels is smiling all the way to the bank acting like he is a financial genius.

4. But here's the biggest Big Oil deception of all. There is limitation in American law that requires Big Oil to sell oil drilled in America to Americans. Really! So if we open up ANWR and stick oil drilling platforms off the coast of every beach in America, and get a bezillion barrels of new oil every day, Big Oil has no obligation to sell this oil in America--they will do what the do now--sell USA-drilled oil to China and India at the highest price they can get. I oppose drilling ANWR because I want to leave this decision to the coming generations, but I might be open to more offshore drilling as McCain is, IF we pass a law that the oil they get our of our soil would be limited to flood the American market adjusting the supply-demand-price of that oil. I'm not an economist, and I'm probably missing something here, but it is a place to start negotiating at least.

5. Ethanol is no solution. C'mon, whoever believes the myth that making a product that costs more ennergy to make than it produces in the end is a sultion ought to have their head examined. Ethanol is a boondoggle designed to enrich argriculture at the expense of global food supplies--even the average one-sentence dullards in America now see that.

6. Actually the solution to oil is not more oil. I am a "conservative" on both the environment and money--I want to conserve both for the future and not both up by boomer wasteful living. But here's the big joke we can all play on Big Oil, and all of the middle East--you emergents should make oil and coal irrelevant. This is the hope I pin on you guys (c'mon, 20somethings, quit living with your folks and for yourself and get to work to invent ways to completely bypass oil and coal. Invent a way to make cheap cars that run on Hydrogen, or grass clippings or wind or solar power or even water! C’mon you guys—get with it and quit hiding behind your IPODS. And while you are at it, figure out alternative lifestyles where we don’t need to drive cars and trucks and deliver our food and average of 1500 miles from farm-to-market—in short we all should be more like Adam Thada. Big Oil will fight you all the way…so will all the oil-rich countries—they are the drug dealers and need us to need their product. But, you can do it! You can lead us all into a new world where oil is as no more valuable than saltwater.

Do it! Us oldtimers will all be skeptical at first, and most will be late adopters, but eventually the world is handed off to you—you have to pay the debts boomers piled up with our wars and tax cuts, you (and your kids) will have to breathe the air we have been polluting. Boomers will cough our way into nursing homes while you pay the bill for our profligate living. So lead us now on this issue… invent bypasses for oil… adjust lifestyles and embarrass us… refuse to buy our luxury homes… be an example for older people to follow. You can do it! Gooooooo for it!

-- Keith Drury

Dobson & Obama on the Bible

Well, James Dobson has started to attack Obama… this doesn’t surprise me. November is just around the corner and it is time to start the engines.

Dobson hasn;t been satisfied with the Christian credentials of McCain but he is even less satisfied with Obama’s liberalism—so I’m not expecting Dobson to support McCain so much as attack Obama in the Fall campaign—sort of making the choice between “evil” and “lesser evil.”

This discussion of the Bible is interesting however and relates to a lot of Ken Schenck’s writing on hermeneutics. I’m guessing Obama is a novice at interpreting the Bible’s seeming conflicting directions—he is probably mystified by which verses applies to today and which verses don’t (Dobson is clearer in understanding that Christians don’t follow everything in the Bible but leave some teaching in the Old Testament as null an void after the NT came along, while other OT teachings are considered for “all time.”)

So who decides which verses come forward and which are left in the OT as inapplicable? Well, we decide—we Christians collectively. That is Dobson’s core criticism of Obama and it is right. Obama seemed to be saying something like “since the Bible teaches things we obviously cannot do as a nation [for instance, follow the sermon on the mount as a nation and always turn the other cheek] thus the Bible cannot be used directly as a rulebook for governing. In this Obama agrees with George Bush.

However Dobson is right too. Obama is smart but I doubt he is familiar with the complicated scholarly hermeneutical process by which we determine which passages apply and which ones don’t—actually most Christians don’t even understand this process. Most of us simply fish in the Bible for verses that back up what we already know to be the right position, and we figure out a way to get out of the other ones that don’t fit. Most of us know that women today do not need to wear a head covering when they pray so we explain these verses as “a woman’s hair is her head-covering.” We know that governments and business can’t turn the other cheek or they won’t survive so we consider this applying only to individuals (or even not applying to individuals all of the time). We Christians just know which verses apply to today and which don’t. I bet Obama doesn’t know this and doesn’t know the process by which we do this fancy footwork.

All this remind me how important a whole-Bible approach is. No single verse in the Bible determines God’s position on a woman’s head-covering, or stoning people who have pre-marital sex, or whipping our kids with a stick, or even the question of women wearing of gold or silver or women serving as pastors. We study the whole Bible to get God’s position on these things and we argue with each other about our conclusions. Often we Christians can't even agree on which verses apply and which don't.

So I appreciate Obama and Dobson for raising the issue of the role of the Bible in governing. It may make us all think more about hermeneutics and that’s good. I've tended toward using Christian principles in governing... but I admit there are bog problems with it.

I’m pulling out of the race

You’ve probably heard that the Democrats have been suggesting that I enter the presidential race to resolve the competition between Obama and Hillary. I guess they figured that my political stature would immediately cause both candidates to withdraw in light of my own candidacy.

Unfortunately I must regretfully withdraw my candidacy. You see Hillary’s & Obama’s supporters have been examining the tapes and videos of some of my pastor’s sermons. We met yesterday in Chicago where they showed me the tapes “inviting” me to withdraw. Once I saw the tapes I pulled out immediately—I’d be dead meat once these get on YouTube.

In Chicago I heard one of my pastors from long ago saying that the Roman Catholic Pope may be the anti-Christ. I had forgotten that, but I didn’t get up and walk out so I’m fried politically. Another pastor I sat under in college said, “If they lined up a group of these long-haired hippies and just shot a group I bet there’d be less of these demonstrations.” That would kill me. And they had the video of my pastor back in the 70’s who said, “Christians should be totally opposed to equal rights for women—God made women from Man’s rib, not the other way around.” Ok that would end my hopes. Then there was the video from the Sunday following 9/11 when my pastor preached that the 9/11 attack was God punishing America for its sins like abortion. They reminded me I was in the congregation that morning and "refused to walk out or leave the church.” I knew right then that my hope to be President of the USA was crushed forever, so I withdrew.

I’d probably have made a better candidate for President if I had not attended church at all. --Keith Drury 3/30/08

44% of Americans change their religion???

The media is freaking out over what they imagine to be the startling discovery in the recent Pew study that 44% of Americans are now in a religion different from what they were raised in.

YIKES! Are they really this stupid? The girl who is raised Nazarene then later joins a Wesleyan church supposedly has "changed her religion?" Duh! Someone needs to tell the media religion spokespeople that a Lutheran a Nazarene and a Roman Catholic all are in the same "religion"--Christianity. Changing one's religion for any of these would require them to become Buddhists or Hindu or Moslem....

The right way to understand this data is to say that 44% of Americans are now in a denomination different than the one they were raised in. Well, really?? This is shocking to them? Of course that is true... do they still think a Nazarene girl who marries a Wesleyan guy would both keep going to the church of their childhood?

C'mon guys---if you are going to report on religion at least understand what a "religion" is! My goodness...

-Keith drury

Three Democrats and one Republican left

Looks like we'll have a Democrat for president next time, even if he is a Republican.

We have three viable candidates left--Clnton, Obama and McCain. one is running as a republican. As charming as Huckabee is, his numbers just don't work though he says "I majored in miracles not mathematics."

McCain is the most conservative Democrat.
Hillary is next most conservative.
And Obama is the least conservative.

At least now.

That's what always makes me wonder. What they are is not automatically what they will be as president. I wonder which one will shift which way when they become the President of all of us. Is there one more likely to be the President of the whole country?

I can "live with" any of these three democrats, though I have a preference right now.

I know this... if Hillary manipulates the super delegate process and jiggers the system in Florida and Michigan and swipes the nomination from Obama if he gets the majority of delegates, the majority of states and the majority of votes....... McCain will look mighty good to me.

--Keith Drury

Super Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and onward

OK Super-duper-Tuesday is over and Ash Wednesday is here and the nominee field is narrowing down. I think I'll run a few opinions-in-development up the pole here:

McCain
I like the guy. Gutsy to tell Michiganders “those jobs aren’t coming back—get new ones.” Gutsy to support the surge. Gutsy to hook up with Feingold on legislation. Gutsy to face down immigrant bashers in his own party and sponsor a compromise allowing some illegal aliens a path to citizenship. Gutsy to stay behind with his fellow prisoners (sever more years!) when he could have been released early as a POW. I admire his guts. I’m a little nervous at his stubbornness, his temper, his cursing, and his vengefulness on enemies but over all I like the guy and often feel like nobody else owns him. He reminds me of Bob Dole.

Huckabee
I like Huck too. He is comical, doesn’t take himself too seriously, and weaves his faith into his positions from time to time. I don’t think he can get the nomination but he can keep Mitt out, which I feel is a good thing. He’d be a good VP for McCain—since McCain is even less of an evangelical than Hillary. Huck could make evangelicals swallow and pull the lever marked McCain, even if Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and james Dobson tell them not to vote at all. [Ann Coulter said this week she’d rather vote for Hillary than McCain because “she’s more conservative.” ]


Romney.
I simply don’t like this guy and its not fair. Sometimes you just don’t like a person and you can’t explain why. He reminds me of another guy I simply didn’t like for no reason either—John Edwards. Both of them make me screw up my face and hope they’ll get knocked out of the race. I can’t put my finger on why but that’s how I feel. It isn’t Mitt’s policy, or his religion, or even his corny name, but there’s just something about him that makes me cringe.

Clinton
I disagree with some of her policies but secretly I have some admiration for Hillary. If she weren’t running against Obama I bet I’d have already sent her money. I admire her, she is like an old sweater, not very snazzy but “serviceable”…she’s nice enough. She works hard! She reminds me of a post-menopausal mom-in-chief bringing a bowl of chicken soup to an ailing nation. Gosh, does she never wear out? And she takes a hit. And she has been dismissed as dead several times and she keeps coming back. She’s a fix-it woman with a plan. And, like Ann Coulter says, she more conservative than most evangelicals think. In any other year I suppose I’d be voting for her. I’m not, but I do admit if she wins I will remember that somewhere deep inside of me during the whole campaign I was saying secretly, “You go girl.”

Obama
What is it about this guy that attracts me so much? Hey, his experience is minor. He is a great speech-maker but you can’t eat a speech. Yet he has attracted me and I’ve even donated several times online to him over the past year. Why? In a way he is the greatest risk of all the candidates. Yet I am rooting for him every time the results are reported. How did he get me in his corner? Why do I like him so much? Why am I hoping he can change things? I don’t know for sure… I just know he has my hopes up.

Keith Drury 2/6/08

Dear Bill, GO HOME!

I’m an Obama supporter but I also value women in leadership so seeing the first serious woman candidate for president is neat for me. But, Bill, please go home—you are not helping Hillary.

When a husband steps in to defend his lady and beat up her opponent he does not make the woman look strong enough to be President—she looks weaker. Just go home, Bill.

You are making her look like you are her protector, her daddy, her big powerful big man who fights her battles for her. Just go home, Bill.

From what I can see, Hillary is tough enough to fight her own battles. If she wants to label Obama’s position a “fairy tale” or dismiss his South Carolina win as of the Jesse Jackson variety—you know, [wink wink] how those black people stick together let HER say that—just go home Bill.

On the other hand, maybe you should stay—you are helping Obama, and I like that. You sure aren’t helping Hillary. Your blabbering has now lost the Kennedy family who were your long time buddies. You are about to lose more endorsements too--thanks to you. You may not be able to win the nomination for her--but you can lose it for her.

You are reminding us that you are wanting back in the white house. We might take Hillary but as a country we worry what it might be like to have Bill Clinton slinking around among the white house employees with nothing to do!

You blew it Bill… just go home. Thinking you needed to go out and fight your wife’s battles for her accomplished what I never thought possible—you made Hillary look like a little girl in distress needing a big man to rescue her. Just go home Bill.

Clean out your garage. Watch the Super bowl. Do your taxes. Read comic books. Scoop out the leave from your rain gutters, bake cookies. Whatever—just quit making your wife look so helpless. Just go home and wait… thanks to you Hillary may be coming home too soon.