Homecoming

Did anyone make it to homecoming this year? I got the "highlights" email from the alumni association and started wondering if any of you made it back to our soul mother?

Religion and Politics: Conservatism

A NYT review of books by Michael Gerson and John Bolton:

Describing the Elephant, Michael Lind

A sampling of the Gerson section:

"Where social issues are concerned, Gerson’s heroic conservatism is actually closer to the Social Gospel Protestant tradition and its equivalents on the Catholic left than to Republican orthodoxies or to the “national greatness” declarations of the neoconservatives....As one might expect, a number of conservative reviewers have been hostile to such a point of view, and with them it is reasonable to ask why Gerson considers himself a conservative at all, inasmuch as his heroes are mostly progressives, liberals and radicals."

Stanley Fish and Theodicy

There are a few of you to whom I owe email responses or other signals that I continue to live and breathe. Especially Adam, who wrote to me before his trip to Italy and is still waiting for a response. Unconscionable, I agree. Alas, I am finishing (read: writing from scratch, or re-writing) the first chapter of my dissertation this week, to be submitted to various members of my committee on Friday, so I won't be communicating much this week. But, by Saturday, I'll be back in action.

In the meantime, you might be interested in reading Stanley Fish's latest blog post on "Suffering, Evil and the Existence of God." The post is actually an extended review of two forthcoming books, Bart D. Ehrman's (a Wheaton and PTS grad) God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question – Why We Suffer and Antony Flew’s (not even close to a Wheaton grad) There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.

Both books take up Epicurus's old question: “Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence, then, evil.” As you might expect from their titles, they come to different conclusions on the matter. An interesting read.

Obama and the Fam

OK, this is either a commentary on the unhinged nature of our political system, the unbelievable strength of coincidence, or, my favorite option, proof that the Masons really do have a nefarious plot to rule the world. It is, in a word, bizzare.

From the Chicago Sun Times: "Barack Obama is related to both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney." Yeah, that's right. Related. The brief article continues: "Obama and Bush are 11th cousins" because "they share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents -- Samuel Hinckley and Sarah Soole Hinckley of 17th century Massachusetts."

And the Cheney connection? "Obama is related to Cheney through Mareen Duvall, a 17th century immigrant from France. Mareen and Susannah Duvall were Obama's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents and Cheney's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents. That makes Obama and Cheney ninth cousins once removed."

The Hastert Center

Coye has got us started in this spirit of channeling Dusty in his absence (where are you Dusty, when so many interesting things are happening at our alma mater?), and in just a casual search for something I might contribute to this spate of Wheatoblogging, I discovered a very interesting fact. Do you happen to know the fate of our beloved MSC? The former home of CPO, the Stupe, and various coffee house performances featuring our own Dave Jones as frontman for the AKP is slated to become The J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy.

According to the press release, "In recognition of the large number of Wheaton graduates in public service both in Washington, D.C. and at the state level, The J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy at Wheaton College will advance the study of market economies and representative democracies, both within the campus community and in the general public. The Hastert Center will affirm the values, institutions, and policy interests that characterize the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert’s career in public life. Specifically, the activities of the Hastert Center and the holder of the Kvamme Chair will uphold the principles and qualities evident in Speaker Hastert’s career as teacher, coach, state legislator, and Member of Congress."

Saga

I know it might seem like a bit much, but this girl I see sometimes heard this on the radio and pointed it out to me tonight, and I couldn't resist adding another item under our shiny new tag:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14748873

It is, after all, in the byline of our blog's title. Remember student appreciation dinners?

V. Raymond Edman

Here's a news story a friend of mine in the Episcopal seminary here in Austin pointed out to me.

Dusty hasn't given us any Wheaton news of late, so I thoght I'd go ahead and post it.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/571549,3_1_EL24_A4ANGLICANS_S1.article