A Thinking Reed

  • Eating local vs. going meatless

    An interesting, though longish, post at the “Ethicurean” reporting on a new study that contends that how food is produced is more important than how far it has traveled (“food miles”) as far as greenhouse gas emissions go. Specifically, reducing your meat consumption can go further than buying local toward reducing your footprint. Not that…

  • Humane California

    As far as California ballot initiatives go this year, all eyes will undoubtedly be on the one to overturn the state supreme court’s recent decision on same-sex marriage. But allow me to draw your attention to another ballot intitiative of potentially far-reaching consequence: the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which would phase out phase…

  • “Food nannyism” and animal cruelty

    Jim Henley offers the obvious, but no less sound for that, rebuttle to worries that lump things like banning trans fats and foie gras into the category of “food nannysim”: In a video bemoaning food nannies, Baylen Linnekin, who is a good guy and whose writing I enjoy, begs a question. He declares NYC’s bans…

  • A democracy of sinners

    Via Christopher, a meditation on violence, redemption, and the importance of holding on to our doctrine of sin: There is Good News hidden in the doctrine of sin. Sin is the great equalizer. Sin levels the playing field and throws us back on God’s loving kindness. In Paul’s vision, Jews are no better and certainly…

  • The price of not having cable

    One week later, and I’m still waiting for the Sci Fi Channel to post the Battlestar Galactica (sort of) season finale to their website (which, by all accounts, was mind-blowing). Grumble.

  • Whither the ELCA blogosphere?

    Maybe it’s bad form to call out bloggers who haven’t posted anything in a while, but I can’t help but notice that several bloggers from my sidebar who’ve been inactive for months are ELCA Lutherans! I’m talking about Chip Frontz, Andy of Sinning Boldly, and Thomas of Without Authority. What’s the deal here, fellas? What…

  • Henry Chadwick, RIP

    An esteemed Anglican scholar and ecumenist passes. The obituary by Rowan Williams is here (via Derek). For what it’s worth: I highly recommend his history of the early church and Early Christian Thought and the Classical Tradition. Highly readable works that wear their (ample) scholarship lightly.

  • Rays of hope

    Marvin has a review of Diana Butler Bass’ Christianity for the Rest of Us, which tries to identify characteristics of thriving mainline congreations (often believed to be a contradiction in terms). Based on Marvin’s post, Bass confirms something that I’ve long thought: that you need to integrate both the “vertical” and “horizontal” dimensions of religion…

  • Friday metal – All hail Scandinavia edition

    I’m not usually one of those people who harps on about how much better and more advanced Europe is than the good ol’ US of A, but when it comes to metal it may well be true. Scandinavia alone has produced a disproportionately large number of metal’s best contemporary bands. (Is there a Lutheran connection…

  • Heaven is not optional

    Austin Farrer was, among other things, a renowned Anglican theologian and a friend of C.S. Lewis. I’ve been reading his book Saving Belief – a kind of primer of sorts Christian theology originally delivered as a series of lectures to undergraduates. In his chapter on “Heaven and Hell” he has this to say about Christians…