I’m intrigued by the theology of Paula White, President Trump’s new spiritual adviser. Let me give you a couple snippets of her belief system and then contrast them with Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest and author. Most striking about White is that she knows what God wants for us politically. If you don’t support […]
Trump’s spiritual adviser has a direct line to God Read Post »
How governments prioritize expenditures is sometimes a head-scratcher. An example is the city of Columbus’ decision to invest millions in a new soccer stadium, while a segment of the west side continues to decay. Two weeks ago, the Columbus Dispatch ran a three-day series, “Suffering on Sullivant,” about a three mile stretch of Sullivant Avenue
New stadium scores over economic blight Read Post »
I don’t like it when authors quote the Bible to justify a position, because, I think, so many people use the Bible to advance very narrow interests and not the expansive message of love and compassion that authors like Richard Rohr advocate. But then there’s that old adage, “Never say never,” which allows me to
What part of “Thou Shalt not kill” don’t we understand? Read Post »
If you’re not outraged by the nation’s gun violence, you should be. If you’re outraged but doing nothing, recognize that your inaction contributes to the problem. If you’re a state or U.S. lawmaker who follows the gun lobby script, it’s time to acknowledge that gun violence is a public health issue. Here are suggestions for
Citizens and lawmakers all can work to combat gun violence Read Post »
We want them to protect us and maintain law and order. We authorize them to use force, lethal, if necessary, and we expect them to get it right every time. And when the police err, we get angry. We’ve seen a number of police shootings nationwide, and the shootings that cause us concern often involve
Culture of accountability crucial for police Read Post »
If you pay attention to the reasoning given by legislators for the bills they propose, you’ll frequently see more anecdotes and personal opinion offered as support than statistics or other forms of evidence. Gun legislation provides a good example. Pending in the Ohio Statehouse is H.B. 178, which is sponsored by Republican representatives. The bill
No evidence needed when it comes to gun legislation Read Post »
Is the nation’s and Ohio’s poverty rate an inescapable fact of life or one we choose to ignore? The breadth of the problem is inescapable: 16.7 percent of Franklin County residents live at the poverty level—$25,100 annual income for a family of four—and the poverty rate has increased in every large Ohio city from 1999
Eliminating poverty requires new paradigm, mindset Read Post »
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do something remarkable: I shook hands and spoke with Colonel Tom Moe, a retired Air Force fighter pilot who spent five years as a POW in North Vietnam. He’s a soft spoken, warm man who had the strength to survive unspeakable torture. The opportunity to meet Tom came about
Hate is destructive, as told by a former POW Read Post »
The Dow Jones has been on the rise, and the unemployment rate is 3.8 percent. The economy is humming, but is everyone benefitting? It depends on where you stand on the economic ladder. Let’s take a look, starting at the top. Wealth at the top is increasing. According to the Spectrum Group, the number of
The economic boom hasn’t benefited everyone Read Post »
Do you think at all about where to find God in your life? I do, and I struggle to find him, but some politicians make it look easy. A select number claim to know what God wants, based on what must be a direct line to the Heavens which the rest of us will likely
God likes guns, and Trump is biblical–Really? Read Post »
Last month’s vote on the national emergency resolution gave me pause to think about courage. We admire those who display it and criticize those who don’t. We like to give a pat on the back to those who show courage under fire, whether it be combat or the pressures of the business world. Show me
The lesson we can learn from the moral failures of others Read Post »
Jeffrey Epstein, a Miami hedge fund manager, and Kevin Keith, an indigent Bucyrus resident, have been through the criminal justice system for serious crimes but with remarkably different experiences. Epstein allegedly had sex with and trafficked over three dozen girls, most of them 13 to 16. He faced a life sentence in 2007, but his
These kinds of disparities demean the criminal justice system Read Post »