Category: Uncategorized

UncategorizedLeave a comment

“I Have a Dream” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

georgepwood

In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am posting a video and the full text of his best-known speech, “I Have a Dream,” which he delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on August 28, 1963. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions … Continue reading “I Have a Dream” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

UncategorizedLeave a comment

Review of ‘The Resignation of Eve’ by Jim Henderson

georgepwood

 Jim Henderson, The Resignation of Eve: What If Adam’s Rib Is No Longer Willing to Be the Church’s Backbone? (BarnaBooks, 2012). Paperback / Kindle  Women are the backbone of the American evangelical church. They constitute the majority of its attendees and volunteers. Absent their participation, all churches would shrink in size, and most ministries would dissolve for lack of both interest and involvement. And yet, many—if not most—American evangelical churches have a stained glass ceiling beyond which women cannot rise in leadership. This is true whether or not the theology of the denomination or local congregation is explicitly complementarian or … Continue reading Review of ‘The Resignation of Eve’ by Jim Henderson

UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Gettysburg Address at 150 [UPDATED]

georgepwood

Today–November 19, 2013–is the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. In that speech, President Abraham Lincoln said, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.” In fact, his words are precisely what we remember about that momentous battle, which was fought on July 1-3, 1863. Here is the text of Lincoln’s landmark speech. Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, … Continue reading The Gettysburg Address at 150 [UPDATED]

Book Reviews, Uncategorized1 Comment

Review of “Manson” by Jeff Guinn

georgepwood

 Jeff Guinn, Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013). $27.50, 495 pages. Hardcover / Kindle Frigyes Karinthy originated the idea of six degrees of separation in his 1929 short story, “Chains.” One of the characters in the story bet his friends that “using no more than five individuals, one of whom is a personal acquaintance, he could contact [any person in the world] using nothing except the network of personal acquaintances.” I had a six-degrees-like experience while reading Jeff Guinn’s excellent new biography of Charles Manson. (I don’t normally read biographies of serial … Continue reading Review of “Manson” by Jeff Guinn

UncategorizedLeave a comment

Review of ‘Lincoln Unbound’ by Rich Lowry

georgepwood

 Rich Lowry, Lincoln Unbound: How an Ambitious Young Railsplitter Saved the American Dream—And How We Can Do It Again (New York: Broadside Books, 2013). $26.00, 288 pages. Hardcover / Kindle Two score and seventeen years ago, historian David Herbert Donald noted the tendency of politicians to appropriate Abraham Lincoln’s name and words in support of their preferred policies. Borrowing a phrase from Illinois Republican pol Everett Dirksen, Donald titled this phenomenon, “getting right with Lincoln.” Between the Civil War and the dawn of the New Deal, this appropriation was done solely by Republicans (or ex-Republican Bull Moosers like Teddy Roosevelt). … Continue reading Review of ‘Lincoln Unbound’ by Rich Lowry

Book Reviews, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Review of ‘Reading the Christian Spiritual Classics’ by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel

georgepwood

 Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel, eds., Reading the Christian Spiritual Classics: A Guide for Evangelicals (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013). $24.00, 336 pages. In contemporary America, many people describe themselves as “spiritual, not religious.” They are interested in God, prayer, and spiritual disciplines, but not in dogma or denomination. They are critical of religious people who, to them, seem concerned only with the finer points of doctrine and weekly attendance at a specific type of Christian church. Evangelical Christians—including Pentecostals—need to listen to this critique, even as they disagree with it. The disagreement part is easy: Spirituality and religion … Continue reading Review of ‘Reading the Christian Spiritual Classics’ by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel