A semi-comforting, oft-used phrase at times of crisis — personal or communal — is “God moves in mysterious ways.” It’s also the title of a Christian song. For a nation whose motto is emblazoned on its currency — “In God We Trust” — the past three years have highlighted just how mysterious God can seem […]
Easter is a time for Christians worldwide to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet Easter egg hunts and grand fellowship dinners with ham and all the fixings need pause for the sake of saving mankind in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, it is a sad state of affairs, but in these unprecedented […]
“Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?” — Matthew 26:65, King James Version On Friday afternoon, the Republican majority in the Senate voted against hearing any witnesses before they will deliver their verdict at the impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump. Chief Justice […]
An old friend and I were engaged in a discussion about God and his plan for Mary and Joseph, parents of Jesus, following the recent Christmas season. The conversation wound around to the point of Mary being without sin when she gave birth to the Christ child. It was, we agreed, God’s plan to have […]
Editor’s Note: In light of yesterday’s New York Times story that announced President Donald Trump’s naming of Florida televangelist Paula White as his newest presidential aide in charge of his “Faith and Opportunity Initiative,” this morning we offer a retread of sorts. This story, penned by our very own Nathaniel R. “Nat” Helms, originally ran on […]
God’s been a busy spirit since Donald Trump thundered into the White House smelling of sulphur, brimstone and foreign money. His self-described spiritual adviser and personal pastor, Paula White, reports God called on her “directly regarding Trump.” The little lady of Bottom Line Divinity is renowned for preaching a gospel that money sent directly to […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: When Shinbone Star artist and contributor Skye Hunter (not her real name) woke up last week to news of the massacre in New Zealand, she set down her thoughts on Facebook. It is reprinted here with her permission. By SKYE HUNTER I woke up this morning and after my shower I went downstairs to get […]
How did Lindsey Graham, who once called Donald Trump “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot,” become his leading ally in the Senate? Perhaps this golf course conversation was a factor. June 2017, 18th hole at the Mar-A-Lago golf course where Trump and Graham are preparing to putt: Trump: Lindsey, you need to learn to play ball […]
Does so-called “conversion therapy” turn gay men into straight men? U.S. Vice President Mike Pence thinks so. He also believes homosexuals should get the therapy in keeping with what he calls Christian teaching. Legislation to make conversion therapy illegal for minors and to ban charging or advertising such therapy has drawn much interest in the […]
Sometime in the early years of the Common Era, when Egypt was under Roman rule, a desperate young family petitioned for asylum. Their fate hinged on the whim of Prefect Donaldus, who had been appointed by the emperor to govern Egypt. Recently, a scroll has come to light that contains a transcript of the prefect’s […]
In a few short days, Christians will celebrate the nativity of Jesus Christ, a Middle Eastern child born to an unmarried teenage mother and a man who was not the baby’s father. Many American Christians, especially those who support Donald Trump, seem to overlook the most significant parts of the story. It’s as if they […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today we are happy to host a guest writer from India. Yashodhara Sirur is a wife, new mother, professional woman and cat lover who lives in Mumbai. When not changing cloth diapers, she’s trying her best to read, write and catch a few extra winks. She is a fan of Harry Potter, but not of […]
Donald Trump warned of violence in America’s streets if his Trumplican Party candidates aren’t elected in the November midterms. “The level of hatred, the level of anger is unbelievable. Part of it is because of some of the things I’ve done for you and for me and for my family, but I’ve done them,” a […]
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances – First Amendment to the United States Constitution With the […]
I don’t usually cry over breakfast. But reading The New York Times account of life inside one of Trump’s jails for migrant children nearly made me spill coffee and tears all over my iPad. My tears gave way to rage that anyone would treat children this way, and sorrow that my own country is doing […]
Only Donald Trump would send an anti-Semitic evangelical preacher who is on record as saying “Jews and Muslims are going to hell” to lead a prayer for the new United States Embassy in Jerusalem. Sigh. Here we go again. Dear Donald, Religion is fundamental to the ongoing war between Israeli Jews and the Sunni-Islam Palestinians, […]
Last week, the Rev. Patrick Conroy, a Jesuit priest and chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, was forced to resign or be fired by Speaker Paul Ryan. The speaker had previously admonished Conroy for “playing politics” in his prayers, specifically for mentioning the poor in a prayer before tax-cut legislation was considered. Just to […]
CNN’s Erin Burnett interviewed Jerry Falwell Jr., president of the ultra-right Liberty University, on evangelical support for Donald Trump despite numerous, repeated, exploitive, purposeful behaviors that any right-minded individual, regardless of faith, would describe as the Biblical description of sin. EB: How many times does it take before you say, this is a person who […]
As the articulate survivors of the Majory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre have noted, Donald Trump is too self-involved to react appropriately to that horrific event. No one expects him to play presidential. No one is looking to him to comfort and care for the grieving Parkland, Fla., community and a school violence-numbed nation. It’s […]
The $1.45 trillion deficit-producing tax plan hovering over Americans will remain in jeopardy until Republicans succeed in ramming it through the congressional orifice. Republican leadership has been passing out juicy enticements to the few remaining skeptics who have not shown the slightest concern for their constituents. In that steamy atmosphere, The Shinbone Star used a chance […]
THE SHINBONE STAR 