Daily Archives: January 22, 2014

The Snake

snake-horseThere is an old joke that goes something like this:

Once upon a time, there was a snake who at the end of a path wanted to cross a river. The river was raging, and it looked hopeless.

Along came a horse down the path, looking to cross that river. The snake said “HEY! Could you help a brother out?”

The horse was accommodating. He carried that snake across that river safely to the other side, where he dismounted and promptly bit the horse.

The horse was dumbfounded. “Why did you bite me?” he asked.

The snake replied “I’m a snake, stupid.”

Indeed, as one might trust those who are recipients of favor, there is a fairly consistent expectation that simply feeding an alligator wont protect you when he is hungry again.  In this case of carrying the snake, its in his nature to bite.

You Betcha! (0)Nuh Uh.(0)

Itching Ears and Mad Prophets

My pastor, when he’s discussing contemporary culture from either the sanctuary pulpit or the classroom lectern, likes to refer to what he calls, “itching ear disorder.”  The primary Scripture reference is 2 Timothy 4:3-4, referring to a time when people will have no further interest in the truth, and won’t tolerate listening to anything that contradicts their philosophical predispositions.  As a student of Scripture, I can say with some certainty that the prophets and apostles were well acquainted with this disorder.  Hosea even wrote about a time when hostility against the truth would become so great that those who insist on speaking it would be considered fools and maniacs.  According to a disputed George Orwell quote (“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.  The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”), “itching ear disorder” isn’t exactly an unusual condition in the human experience.

And this brings us to the current philosophical skirmish involving Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman, which involves the latest escalation by some unsavory elements within the Michigan Republican Party, who seem to be in a desperate quest to reclaim lost relevance.

Free Speech?

You Betcha! (1)Nuh Uh.(0)