R. Keith Iddings, PhD
“Liminal” — A Great Word I like words. Though I’m aware that this love of vocabulary can sometimes seem pretentious or pedantic, I find it difficult to control. Obscure words just seem to pop into my head in normal conversation. In general, I’m ok with that. Given my tendency, I was pleased during Sunday…
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Our Vote Matters In November As we stagger toward the upcoming November elections here in the United States, I am daily reminded of the stakes. Our elected leaders clearly are not simple ornamental bushes planted atop the substantial bureaucratic soil that nourishes and keeps our society running smoothly. At certain times congressional representatives, senators, governors,…
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An Empirical Attempt To Determine If The U.S. Is Indeed A “Christian Nation” If you spend much time in US Evangelical circles, you will likely hear many affirmations that America was founded as a Christian nation. For many this is almost an article of faith. And statistics support this view. Of the US population, 78.3%…
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My workbench in the garage tends to accumulate clutter. As I work on a project, items I use begin to inhabit all available space. Eventually, the workbench is no longer useful for work and I must make the effort to actually put things back where they belong. Over the past several weeks, I’ve been working…
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It may be peculiar on an auspicious holiday such as July 4th to reflect on something as inauspicious as a pronoun. But I think the American birthday and the first person plural pronoun are profoundly interconnected. The connection is emphatically highlighted in the oversized first word of the United States constitution. “WE”! So what exactly…
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My noise-cancelling headphones make cutting the grass a bit easier for me. While pushing our battery-powered mower up and down the hills in our yard I shuffle the broad range of music accumulated over the years and stored on my phone. My playlist is eclectic and includes classical, opera, country, jazz, swing, pop, gospel, and…
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As we head toward another significant U.S. election this coming November, I have been pondering how I should vote. What criteria should I use in selecting whom to support? Are there considerations that a Christ-follower like me should make paramount? Are there particular views, policies, or traits that should unconditionally disqualify a candidate? Should…
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This morning I heard that Germany was once again hit by a mass shooting. The New York Times reported that late Wednesday, February 19, a 43 year-old gunman opened fire in Hanau at two bars frequented by immigrants, killing nine. According to the Times and other media outlets reviewing the evidence, the shooting was motivated…
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Sennacherib was a brutal and power hungry tyrant of the seventh century BC. He conquered much of the middle east, founded Nineveh, and destroyed the Northern kingdom of Israel to the extent that it never recovered. He also wreaked havoc in the Southern kingdom of Judah, threatening its very existence. In 2 Kings 19:25-28, God…
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I’ve finally got my car in the garage, just in time for winter. For the past couple years, one side of our garage was filled with “stuff.” We had crammed it with all my woodworking equipment, empty moving boxes from the past move, lawn and garden tools, assorted games, coolers, folding chairs, and scrap wood. …
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