Author Archives: Paul Harris
Excuse My French
An “Irish goodbye”, is an expression used today by Americans and Englanders. It comes from the English referring to a “French leave.” The French refer to it as “leave as the English.” Germany has “to make a Polish exit”.[i] This … Continue reading
Devil’s Night
When I had a parish in in the City of Detroit in the late 80s, Devil’s Night was a feared Halloween Eve tradition. Pranks, vandalism, and crimes were up as youth ran wild. That’s how it was billed and the … Continue reading
Just a Tool, Two
In my never ending quest, perhaps Quixotic, to expose the seedy underbelly of all things techie, I offer “Just a Tool, Two” or “2.0” for you Big Tech enthusiasts. The scene in the 1980’s movie is this: the hero has … Continue reading
Give Me the spirit of heaviness rather than disease of depression
Every year at this season, the “news” goes between how more depressing this time of year is to how it’s really a myth that this time of year is more depressing than others. I think what is most certainly depressing … Continue reading
Forensic Justification is Objective Justification
The single greatest threat to Confessional Lutheranism is the denial of Objective Justification (OJ). It is a denial of the Gospel. That’s what Dean Saleska said in a 1981 meeting of the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary at Fort Wayne. … Continue reading
Sanctity of Life Sunday
Before I retired, I moved the celebration of The Holy Innocents to Sanctity of Life Sunday. If you look at the history of the celebration on December 28, it was originally celebrated after St. Stephen and St. John, to tamp … Continue reading
Even Pagans and Zombies Get It
I’m watching a bit more TV and movies, and falling asleep a lot more to documentaries and reality shows now that I’ve retired. Who knew there were whole shows devoted to lumberjacks, pawnbrokers, car customizers, and swamp people? Not to … Continue reading
Social Media – The Unrest of the Younger Generation
In a 1936 essay entitled “The Literary Twenties – The Younger Generation” a New York literary critic, Carl Van Doren, looks back at the generation of the 1920’s which he was on the cusp of. Among his pearls of wisdom … Continue reading
Giving away the Farm – Part II
In the February 22, 2024 post, I promised this. There I posted the 1993 essay mailed to me at that time, and probably most conservative Lutherans. The booklet was titled “A second opinion after ‘The Church and Human Sexuality” (The … Continue reading
Reportage or Fearmongering?
I was going to title this “Fake News and Battle of the Bulge” in homage to St. Merv. Merv was with the 101st Airborne at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. “Band of Brothers” is his story. We were … Continue reading