Mere musings on culture, life, and theology by Samuel James
Samuel James on December 28, 2016 I will be less cynical. Sarcasm and withering criticism are to social media what static is to AM radio. There's no need for one more person's trying too hard to be funny. I won't start or join a "pile-on." If I wouldn't publicly shame a person in real life, I shouldn't do it online. I will tweet…
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Samuel James on December 27, 2016 I've heard several people say the days and weeks after Christmas are one of the sadder and more melancholy times of the year for them. True for me as well. My parents have told me that when I was younger they watched as I emotionally primed myself for Christmas Day, only to seem sad and distant after…
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Samuel James on December 23, 2016 From "What Christmas Means to Me" ...the idea that not only all friends but even all acquaintances should give one another presents, or at least send one another cards, is quite modern and has been forced upon us by the shopkeepers. Neither of these circumstances is in itself a reason for condemning it. I condemn…
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Samuel James on December 21, 2016 One of the most widely quoted sentences of Sir Francis Bacon--it comes from his essay "Of Studies"--concerns the reading of books: "Some books are to be tasted, others are to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read,…
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Samuel James on December 21, 2016 When you think about it, nearly everyone and everything connected to the first Christmas was on the wrong side of history. Zechariah and Elizabeth were on the wrong side of history for sure. They were an elderly Jewish couple, living in an occupied land. They had no platform, no political clout. Even worse–they had no…
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Samuel James on December 16, 2016 Scene 1: An online "journalism" site pretends to be utterly shocked to find that two evangelical Christians, hosts of a feverishly popular home renovation show, actually attend an evangelical church, pastored by an evangelical theologian. The site earnestly contends (with no witnesses) that the orthodox sexual ethics of the church's pastor are "controversial," and insists that…
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Samuel James on December 16, 2016 Some first impressions from tonight's screening of Rogue One: This is the Star Wars film that critics of George Lucas' prequels wanted instead. I told my brother-in law-in the car heading home that Rogue One is a love letter to fans of the original series. The comparisons to The Force Awakens are inevitable. But these…
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Samuel James on December 9, 2016 I'm terrible at making meaningful "welcome" or "About me" pages. But since this is the inaugural post at my Mere Orthodoxy blog, it's probably fitting that I take a second and offer some preliminary welcome and thanks. Firstly, welcome to this blog page. If you've followed me from my previous home blog at samueldjames.net, a…
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