“The Golden Compass” – 1. Boycotting “The Golden Compass” – 0.

The His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman – The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass – are on my To Reread This Summer List, and thinking about them always reminds me of something that really annoys me about conservative Christians. When the movie The Golden Compass came out, a TON of [...]

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The James Bond Theorem

I could never be friends with someone who hated James Bond. I mention this because earlier this afternoon my brother and I had the AWESOME experience of seeing “You Only Live Twice” on the big screen (if you are looking for a good reason to move to Portland, the prevalence of $3 second-run theatres that [...]

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Books and Music

Books and music, some straightforwardly Christian/Catholic, and some slightly more off-the-beaten-track, which have heavily influenced my faith, spirituality & relationship with God – including, but not limited to: The Beatles, cookbooks, Islamic poetry, “Angels In America,” a song about Walla Walla by my friend Mollie, Broadway musicals, a song comparing God to both chocolate and [...]

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Barack Obama’s Inauguration Speech

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation… (APPLAUSE) … as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans [...]

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The “I Have a Dream” Speech

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” The complete text of the “I Have [...]

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In Defense of Patriotic Sentimentality

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers . . . “ “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people . . . “ “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind [...]

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