by Bret Capranica | Jul 3, 2005 | Miscellaneous, Politics
Today I will receive a host of comments because we are not singing any American patriotic songs in our worship services. Why not “America the Beautiful” on the Lord’s Day? “O beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern, impassioned stress, A thorough-fare for freedom beat, Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.” What does this all mean? And why would I want to sing to America on the Lord’s Day? I have often wondered about this (normally silently), trying to comprehend why it is we want to dress God in American clothing more arduously than we desire to see Americans clothed in Christ’s righteousness? I will be accused of not being loyal to America, unpatriotic, unsupportive of our troops. All because we do not sing patriotic songs on Sunday. I have to wonder (now out loud) why it is that Christians want to celebrate our nation’s birth on the one day during the week that we come apart from the world to focus our attention corporately on Christ? Isn’t the forth of July tomorrow, not today anyway? I wonder how many Christians will think patriotic thoughts, sing patriotic songs and take time out on July 4th to actually pray for this country. No, in many minds, that is what Sunday is for. I raise my protest. Those who gather on the Lord’s Day desperately need to be focused upon the Lord. We will pray for our country, our troops, the sins of our nation as well as the sins of our own hearts. But we generally do this...
by Bret Capranica | Jul 3, 2005 | Politics
The New York Times has certainly picked up on the scent of Alberto Gonzales being the justice to replace Sandra O’Connor. The Times further notes that conservatives are pleased enough to have Gonzales enforcing the laws as Attorney General, but not evaluating and interpreting them as a justice on the Supreme Court. Specifically, Gonzales is less than trustworthy on the issue of abortion. This will be a boisterous few weeks. See Bill Kristol’s predictions regarding O’Connor and Gonzales, noted in my blog from...
by Bret Capranica | Jul 1, 2005 | Politics
Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard predicted that Sandra O’Connor would be the first to resign from the Supreme Court. He also suggests that the Chief Justice will NOT resign and that Albert Gonzales will be O’Connor’s replacement. Kristol’s conjecture has begun to become reality. We shall see about the rest. Here are President Bush’s comments and his phone conversation with outgoing Associate Justice O’Connor. War for the Court...
