• Christianity,  Politics

    Does anyone care what happens to Hobby Lobby?

    I am astonished that more Americans aren’t in an uproar about what is happening to Hobby Lobby right now. As many of you know, Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit earlier this year to try and get relief from Obamacare’s abortion mandate. The case is still pending appeal, but the Supreme Court just rejected their request for an emergency injunction. In response, the Christian owners of Hobby Lobby have said they have no intention to pay for the abortion-inducing drugs required by Obamacare. That means that beginning on January 1, the United States government will fine Hobby Lobby $1.3 million dollars per day until Hobby Lobby complies.

  • Christianity

    Remembering Chuck Colson

    NBC News produces an annual video memorializing influential people who have died over the course of the year (see below). I was happy to see that they included Chuck Colson in this year’s list (at 4:18). The memorial designates him simply as “Special Counsel to the President.” Yet he was so much more than that.

  • Christianity,  Humor,  News,  Politics

    My contribution to the “Best of 2012” meme

    It’s that time of year when all the “best of” lists appear ubiquitously across the internet. This post is my contribution to the genre, though I confess that I’m not so sure that the following list actually constitutes the “best of” DennyBurk.com. These rankings represent the most widely read posts of the year based on page views. Whether or not they are actually the “best of” remains to be seen. In any case, these ten were the ones that you were most interested in. I am very grateful for all of you who read the blog, and I am honored that you take the time to keep up with the…

  • Theology/Bible

    Read the Greek New Testament in One Year

    Here’s a schedule for reading the New Testament over the course of a year. For the most part, it tracks pretty closely with Lee Irons’ excellent schedule for reading the Greek New Testament in a year. My plan, however, varies a little bit. Because John’s writing is simpler Greek, my schedule goes through John’s Gospel at a faster pace than Irons’. As a result, there are no readings scheduled at the end of the year from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. These open dates at the end can be used as catch-up days. The schedule is given in two formats below.

  • Theology/Bible

    A plan to read through the Bible in 2013

    In years past, my customary mode for reading the Bible through every year involved starting in Genesis and reading right through to Revelation. I estimated that about four chapters per day would get me through in under a year’s time. The method worked reasonably well, but it wasn’t without its problems. Sometimes I would miss a day (or days) and get behind, and I had no way to keep up with my progress. I needed a schedule so that I could keep myself accountable for finishing in a year. In 2009, therefore, I did something I had never done before. I followed a Bible reading plan. I adopted Robert Murray…

  • Theology/Bible

    Majority of Americans Oppose Ban on Assault Weapons

    Here’s the lede from Politico.com: A slight majority of Americans do not want assault weapons banned in the aftermath of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting, though a clear majority said they support stricter gun laws in general, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll out Wednesday. Specifically on an assault weapons ban, 51 percent of respondents were against the measure, while 44 percent said they support it, the poll said. That remains largely unchanged from an October 2011 poll that had 43 percent for and 51 percent against a ban. Read the rest here. Read USA Today‘s coverage of the poll here.

  • Humor

    When Queen Victoria worked as a mailman

    Okay, you tell me what’s wrong with the following sentence. It’s the first line from a story in the London Telegraph: Jiroemon Kimura, who was born on April 19, 1897 when Queen Victoria was still on the throne and worked as a postal employee, is “particularly fond of red bean cake and rice”. Either the author is really mixed-up about what Queen Victoria’s vocation was, or he made a grammatical mistake. At very least, it’s an intolerable—but humorous—ambiguity. If we were to disambiguate the author’s intent, all we would need to do is insert a “who” as follows: Jiroemon Kimura, who was born on April 19, 1897 when Queen Victoria…

  • News,  Politics

    How much will your taxes go up after fiscal cliff?

    Reports say that most Americans will see their taxes increase after we go over the fiscal cliff next week (see impact here). As Congress continues to slog this one out with the President, the question most people are asking is how much their own taxes will go up after January 1. I’ve come across several websites that have calculators to help you figure the impact on your own bottom line. If you are interested, The Washington Times recommends the one at TaxFoundation.org. After plugging in your numbers, you may find yourself hoping for a last-minute deal to avert the cliff.

  • News,  Politics

    Top 10 Media Stories of 2012

    Dylan Byers gives us the “Top Ten Media stories of 2012” over at Politico. Byers says that the men and women who are tasked to report the news are increasingly making themselves a part of the news. In Byers’ own words: “The biggest political media stories of 2012 portray a fourth estate whose members are stepping off the sidelines to become players in the game.” What struck me about Byers’ list is how many of them end up cutting against conservatives in one way or another. I’ll include the list below, but you’ll have to read Byers’ article for the full commentary on each one.

  • Christianity,  Humor,  News

    Top 10 YouTubes of 2012

    It’s time for my annual posting of the Top 10 YouTube Videos of the Year (see last year’s list here). This ranking is totally unscientific. Only one person was polled to compile this list—yours truly. This year’s crop contains items relating to sports, theology, news, Christianity, and more. Some of the videos are humorous, and others are poignant. They’re not all actual YouTubes. They’re just internet videos. If you think I’ve left something out, let me know. I’ll think about adding it to the “Honorable Mention” category at the bottom. If you’re interested, here are links to lists from previous years: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008