Here's a thought ...

Perhaps the way to save the Humanities is to seek the very same One who has saved humanity, i.e., to place the Word of God once again at the center of pre-, post-, and secondary education. 

Who says retirement is not a biblical concept?

Contrary to what you may read elsewhere, retirement is most certainly a biblical concept:

"The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall begin to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting; and from the age of fifty years they shall retire from the duty of the service and serve no more. They may assist their brothers in the tent of meeting in carrying out their duties, but they shall perform no service. Thus you shall do with the Levites in assigning their duties." (Num. 8:23-26). 

In addition, Numbers 4 speaks repeatedly of the period of enrollment for service of the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Merarites as ending at the age of fifty (see 4:1-3, 21-23, 29-30, 34-36, 38-40, 42-44, 46-48).


(By the way, in my forthcoming book, Year D: A Quadrennial Supplement to the Revised Common Lectionary, I suggest that we should consider requiring teaching elders to pass Bible Content exams on an ongoing basis, say, every five years, to maintain their ordained status.)


The problem at present is that the state is structured and "funded" (so to speak) to allow civil servants to retire with full benefits at the age of fifty, but churches and synagogues are not. Perhaps this should be taken in to account when we interpret, "Render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and to God the things that belong to God" (Matt 22:21). Surely giving to God what belongs to God ought to include caring for elders who have spent their working days in the service of God.


I know it's still Easter, but maybe its worth putting in a word for the Christmas Joy Offering. I'm pretty sure they'll accept gifts at anytime.

Andrew Klavan ...

on the Truth.

"I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

It reads like a B movie, or B- at best. But evidently this is the way they actually speak to one another.  

Is anyone paying attention?

If there was ever an occasion for "binding prayers," this would seem to be it. For the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ living in the Middle East, let us pray ...

I'm so glad I sold my Disney stock a couple of years ago

I bought it at 25-ish when I heard they had picked up the Narnia franchise — it seemed a hopeful sign and worth supporting — and sold it when I learned they had dropped the same. Obviously, Bob Iger and Co. had absolutely zero knowledge of the books themselves and how popular Dawn Treader is compared to Prince Caspian. Meanwhile, Disney's problem child, ABC, is now producing the offal described by Walter Russell Mead over at Via Meadia.


  

UPDATE: Good for Kraft.

Catholics talking lectionary reform ...

Over at Commonweal, Michael Peppard, Assistant Professor at Fordham, has started a discussion of lectionary reform in which he describes the current Roman rotation as "a booby-trapped lectionary." 


"Lectionary reform is not exactly a hot topic," he says. Don't I know it! Before he and his "couple dozen nerds" (his words) head too far down the road of lectionary reform, I hope some intrepid Year D readers will click over there to let them know it has already begun ... once again, with those meddling Presbyterians! 

I would have been proud to have had a PC(USA) representative there

God bless Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison and those whom he and his fellow witnesses represent.