Healthcare Bill Would Remove Gay Tax Inequity

So, the House has passed the long-awaited healthcare reform bill, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi is basking in congratulations. Good for her, and good for the country. It may even be good for partnered Lesbians and Gay men.
The New York Times points out today that the House bill contains a provision to remove a little-known injustice [...]

Order out of Chaos; Reformation

Fr. Coughlin, the anti-Semitic “radio priest” of the 1930s.
What strange times we’re living in. The world seems out of control. Institutions are collapsing (Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch), new institutions are arising (Glenn Beck, Twitter), and no one’s in charge. After 10 months in office, Barack Obama seems particularly clueless.
We’re living in chaos and anarchy. [...]

The Dark Aims of Schism; or Capitalist War

There are a lot of fine bloggers in the Episcopal Church, so let me begin by naming some of them. Then I’m going to accuse them all mildly of screwing up.
Fr. Jake Stops the World is the most important progressive blog in TEC, though it’s been through some ups and downs lately, primarily because “Fr. [...]

Doggie-Sized Den

It is a fact undisputed by the parents of every small child: give the kid a big present and she’ll spend more time playing with the box than the toy inside it.
When I was little I was that way, and so were you. Little ones like kid-sized environments.
As an adult I’ve come to admire parents [...]

Animals & Humanity on Display

The Humane Society of Indianapolis is a fantastic organization; great animals, wonderful volunteers, a very good facility, kind and competent staff. I got to visit today as a prospective adopter, a customer, a guest; I went in with no preconceived notions and was very impressed by the entire operation. I’m sure it has some faults [...]

Finding the Right Dog

(Many updates below; see the comments.)
Here’s a classified ad in a nearby newspaper:
Rat Terrier – 3 yrs. old, female, housebroken. Great dog, but we have a baby. 219-XXX-XXXX
Subclassification: Absolutely Free
First Rundate: 10/08/2009
And here’s an ad on Petfinder:
Luke
Fox Terrier
Young, M
Humane Society of Indianapolis
Hi, my name is Luke and I didn’t have the best start in life, [...]

Vocation: What am I uniquely called to do?

For a couple of years now I’ve been wrestling with a troubling question: What does God want me to do?
Of course, it’s not just “troubling,” it’s an incredible opportunity. Imagine being able to do what God wants! Wouldn’t that be great?
But first we have to know what God wants. Then we have to figure out [...]

On Abortion: The Woman Comes First

This is going to be a tough column to write, but too bad. Anyone who’s ever loved their mother has beliefs about abortion.
I not only loved my mother, who was a bit of a hellcat and not always easy to love; we couldn’t help but love this gentle, soft-spoken, highly opinionated conservative, whose many sins [...]

Follow the Master

He who would valiant be
’gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy
follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement
shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
to be a pilgrim.
—John Bunyan; mod. Percy Dearmer
We’re all pilgrims on this earth. We all walk alone.
It’s just us and God; me or you and God. A lonely journey, a solitary existence.
All we have [...]

Jefferts-Schori is So Last Year

In 2006 the bishops of the Episcopal Church elected a woman president.
They must have felt they were being so, so liberal; prophetic even.
In the face of so much opposition to women priests from Catholics and Protestants, the bishops picked the best woman they could find, +Katharine Jefferts-Schori, Bishop of Nevada.
She’s a scientist with [...]