Monthly Archives: November 2016

The wrong legacy

Posted on November 30, 2016 by maradanto

We shoot our arrows into the darkness, hoping to leave our mark on history; and then as we hear the panicked screams begin, we realize too late that this was supposed to be a metaphor.

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Damn it, Steve Brown, and I like you

Posted on November 30, 2016 by maradanto

I just discovered that Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries has plagiarized me again, with the exact same material as before, after I already spoke to his Legal Department about the plagiarism the first time. The material in question is … Continue reading →

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Man overboard

Posted on November 29, 2016 by maradanto

I like it that when someone falls or jumps off a ship, it's the people on the ship who throw a lifeline and not the other way around. It seems like a much better arrangement that way.

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When treating people respectfully gets out of hand

Posted on November 29, 2016 by maradanto

I read someone sneering about the push to offer safe spaces and to consider people’s potential triggers. “I never had those things, and I came out fine” was the argument. No you didn’t, you bloviating asshole. You grew up to … Continue reading →

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The great lie about religious persecution

Posted on November 28, 2016 by maradanto

There’s a story we like to tell in Christian circles that persecution purifies the church, as it separates the Real Christians from the pretenders and hangers-on. It’s a powerful narrative. In fact it’s so good that it’s allowed us at … Continue reading →

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On the fine art of gizeapoloing

Posted on November 28, 2016 by maradanto

I think everybody knows that moment where your parents catch you being a perfect little snot to your siblings, and try to make you apologize. It almost never works, because when you’re a child — and sometimes when you’re an … Continue reading →

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Tim Nussbaumer and his imaginary sister

Posted on November 28, 2016 by maradanto

So for the past two or three weeks, all I’ve heard about from my close, personal friend Tim Nussbaumer is his sister. She’s moved to Philadelphia, she’s so progressive that I’d be a Neanderthal next to her. She’s a Level … Continue reading →

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Shades of Death

Posted on November 26, 2016 by maradanto

Near the house where I grew up was a large wooded area that everyone melodramatically called “the Shades of Death.” All sorts of urban legends grow up around wooded areas like this, and the Shades was no exception. I heard … Continue reading →

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An embarrassment

Posted on November 22, 2016 by maradanto

An estimated 82 percent of white evangelical Christians voted to support Trump, easily enough to swing the election his way. Each day that I see on the news the carnage of racism (and other problems) that his election has brought … Continue reading →

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Term limits: an idea whose time will never come

Posted on November 21, 2016 by maradanto

The president-elect has set himself an ambitious schedule. In the first 100 days he’s in office, Donald Trump wants to eliminate health insurance for about 16.4 million people now covered by the Affordable Care Act. He wants to build his … Continue reading →

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