I used the term “Christian cocoon” in an editorial to describe conservative upbringing which includes claims that gays and heathens like me deserve to burn in hell. The Old Testament and Romans 1 offer 2,000 year-old primitive thinking that fuel such charming ideas. Most raised within a given faith aren’t so indoctrinated that one could Read More
One December evening not too long ago, I sat down in the Helwys Dining Hall of Regent’s Park College to dine with students and fellows of that University of Oxford college. The young student sitting to my right hailed from northern Ireland. She studied English at Oxford. I soon learned that the young man to Read More
Tuesday saw the first government shutdown since “Toy Story” hit theaters, “Seinfeld” was still on NBC and “Gangsta’s Paradise” was a No. 1 hit. To put things in perspective, I was five years old the last time this happened, and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t anywhere near as politically attentive then as I am now, Read More
After five long years of economic misery, recovery is just around the corner. Turn your television sets to just about any news network, any financial report you can find, and you’ll find a bunch of well-paid folks arguing this very point. And there’s some truth to it. The economy certainly isn’t as bad as it Read More
Libraries without books? Not a chance. As much as technocrats prophesize the coming demise of the book, it will never happen. My friend, Terry Birdwhistell, the Dean of Libraries at the University of Kentucky, echoed that very sentiment last summer at the University of Kentucky Friends of the Library Dinner. Library deans will come and Read More
Forty three professors and employees of Murray State recently took out an ad in The News proclaiming “The Creator of the Universe Came to Earth for You,” suggesting students should access ChristianFacultyRacers.net and the “Jesus Story” from Josh McDowell, a well-known, longtime Christian apologist. I’ve read much of the Bible, compared its stories and read Read More
You can probably count on one hand the number of times I have ever agreed with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) – but when a man’s right, he’s right. This week, Sen. Paul announced that he supported restoring the right of felons to vote in the Bluegrass state, something for which I have nothing but praise. Read More
Why do we have to study this stuff? While you might not ask me this question outright, I know many of you wonder. I sometimes wonder myself. Why do I spend my days teaching history to you? Does it all really matter in the end? Is it important for us to make connections with the Read More