Ian

what’s the best tweet of all time?

Plus, yearning for an inferior past, not even knowing that some of us got this

Gay Christian? No such thing. Christians don't identify with sin, they repent of it.

The predominant motive to believe dogmatically in universalism, that all men shall be saved, is nothing other than to excuse, to try to escape the due consequences of one's own moral failings. Or weakness in correcting them in others. Especially, it seems, homosexuality.

Does anyone else feel line there’s a weirdly high density of ominous music around Christmas that seems otherwise unattested in the liturgical calendar? Am I crazy? Between the Coventry Carol, the Carol of the Bells, and Let all Moral Flesh Keep Silent, it seems a little thick.

What can I say. I don't like rotten things or seeing filthy insects crawl all over my food.

is this meant to be difficult

"Shouldn't Christians support max-boosting welfare programs, because Jesus said to feed the hungry and the early church was marked by generosity to the poor?" 1) No, using the government to forcefully take other people's money against their will and redistribute it was not a mark of the early church. They were generous to the poor, A) with their own money, and B) of their own volition. And yes, individual Christians and churches SHOULD do that!! 2) Although a thin social safety net for the most dire circumstances is permissible, there are *no* examples in the Bible of God commanding (or affirming) governments to take money from earners and redistribute it to take care of people in the Bible. Sometimes, people will (mistakenly) point to OT gleaning commands as an example of Biblical "welfare", but notice those are commands are given to individual Israelites. They are not an example of centralized government redistribution of wealth. There's a reason for this... 3) There is a difference in the Bible between the role of the individual and the role of the State. It is evil and harmful when an individual does the role of the State (i.e., taking personal vengeance for a crime rather than letting the State enact justice). And it is evil and harmful when the State does the role of the individual and the church (i.e., stealing from people via excessive taxation to take on the primary role of charity in a society in place of individuals and churches). It's harmful because with governments "you always get more of what you SUBSIDIZE and less of what you PENALIZE." This is why when governments do "charity", it tends to PRODUCE more poverty in that region rather than ALLEVIATE it over time, because the government has removed the incentives for hard work and ingenuity in society. (A good portion of the population thinks, "Eh, why get out and grind, the government will cover me.") And this is why it actually requires a form of evil and is very harmful for a government to be subsidizing 40M people (12% of the entire population) via food stamps.

"Shouldn't Christians support max-boosting welfare programs, because Jesus said to feed the hungry and the early church was marked by generosity to the poor?" 1) No, using the government to forcefully take other people's money against their will and redistribute it was not a mark of the early church. They were generous to the poor, A) with their own money, and B) of their own volition. And yes, individual Christians and churches SHOULD do that!! 2) Although a thin social safety net for the most dire circumstances is permissible, there are *no* examples in the Bible of God commanding (or affirming) governments to take money from earners and redistribute it to take care of people in the Bible. Sometimes, people will (mistakenly) point to OT gleaning commands as an example of Biblical "welfare", but notice those are commands are given to individual Israelites. They are not an example of centralized government redistribution of wealth. There's a reason for this... 3) There is a difference in the Bible between the role of the individual and the role of the State. It is evil and harmful when an individual does the role of the State (i.e., taking personal vengeance for a crime rather than letting the State enact justice). And it is evil and harmful when the State does the role of the individual and the church (i.e., stealing from people via excessive taxation to take on the primary role of charity in a society in place of individuals and churches). It's harmful because with governments "you always get more of what you SUBSIDIZE and less of what you PENALIZE." This is why when governments do "charity", it tends to PRODUCE more poverty in that region rather than ALLEVIATE it over time, because the government has removed the incentives for hard work and ingenuity in society. (A good portion of the population thinks, "Eh, why get out and grind, the government will cover me.") And this is why it actually requires a form of evil and is very harmful for a government to be subsidizing 40M people (12% of the entire population) via food stamps.

Klamath salmon are spawning in the Williamson River 4 the 1st time since the early 1900s. This pivotal moment is a testament to decades of activism, rigorous scientific research & advocacy from Klamath Basin Indigenous communities & allies. Photos by Paul Wilson/Klamath Tribes