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(WSJ) More Americans Than Ever Own Stocks

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

he share of Americans who own stocks has never been so high.

About 58% of U.S. households owned stocks in 2022, according to the Federal Reserve’s survey of consumer finances released this fall. That is up from 53% in 2019 and marks the highest household stock-ownership rate recorded in the triennial survey. The cohort includes families holding individual shares directly and those owning stocks indirectly through funds, retirement accounts or other managed accounts.

The data provide the most comprehensive snapshot yet of how the Covid-era explosion in investing has reshaped Americans’ personal finances. Stuck at home during the pandemic with extra cash, millions jumped into the stock market for the first time. The elimination of commission fees on stock trading across U.S. brokerages made investing cheaper than ever.

“It created a whole generation of investors,” said Anthony Denier, chief executive of mobile brokerage Webull U.S.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, America/U.S.A., Corporations/Corporate Life, Economy, Personal Finance, Stock Market

(NYT) The Overlooked Crisis in Congo: ‘We Live in War’

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Artillery boomed, shaking the ground, as a couple scurried through the streets of Saké, their possessions balanced on their heads, in the embattled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At a crossroads, they passed a giant poster of Congo’s president, Felix Tshisekedi, who is standing for re-election on Wednesday. “Unity, Security, Prosperity,” read the slogan. They hurried along.

“Our children were born in war. We live in war,” Jean Bahati, his face beaded with sweat, said as he paused for breath. It was the fifth time that he and his wife had been forced to flee, he said. “We’re so sick of it.”

They joined 6.5 million people displaced by war in eastern Congo, where a conflict that has dragged on for nearly three decades, stoking a vast humanitarian crisis that by some estimates has claimed over six million lives, is now lurching into a volatile new phase.

Read it all.

Posted in Death / Burial / Funerals, Military / Armed Forces, Republic of Congo, Violence

A Prayer to Begin the Day from The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

O God of hope, fill us, we beseech thee, with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of thy Holy Spirit, and show forth our thankfulness to thee in trustful and courageous lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: Services of Praise and Prayer for Occasional Use in Churches (New York: Oxford University Press, 1933)

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.”‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie–behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

–Revelation 3:7-13

Posted in Uncategorized

Sunday food for Thought from Tim Keller

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

If you want to understand your own behavior, you must understand that all sin against God is grounded in a refusal to believe that God is more dedicated to our good, and more aware of what that is, than we are. We distrust God because we assume he is not truly for us, that if we give him complete control we will be miserable. Adam and Eve did not say, “Let’s be evil. Let’s ruin our own live and everyone else’s too!” Rather they thought, “We just want to be happy. But his commands don’t look like they will give us the things that we need to thrive. We will have to take things into our own hands—we can’t trust him.”

—Tim Keller, The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God’s Mercy (New York: Viking, 2018). pp.137-138, shared by yours truly in the morning sermon

Posted in Books, Evangelicals, Theology: Scripture

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina This Day

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer to Begin the Day from the ACNA Prayerbook

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Posted in Advent, Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Scripture Readings

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory.
Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee.

–Psalm 63:1-3

Posted in Theology: Scripture

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Ralph Adams Cram, John LaFarge and Richard Upjohn

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Gracious God, we offer thanks for the vision of Ralph Adams Cram, John LaFarge and Richard Upjohn, whose harmonious revival of the Gothic enriched our churches with a sacramental understanding of reality in the face of secular materialism; and we pray that we may honor thy gifts of the beauty of holiness given through them, for the glory of Jesus Christ; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Posted in Architecture, Church History, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer to Begin the Day from yours truly

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Gracious Father, we acknowledge that in you we live and move and have our being, and thank you for the gift of another day of the gift of life. Grant us by your Spirit so to walk with you now and hereafter having heard and understood afresh the grace of God in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Scripture Readings

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

–Revelation 3:1-6

Posted in Theology: Scripture

(Church Times) US theologian wins Michael Ramsey Prize for description of God’s love

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Professor Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt was awarded the 2023 Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing on Thursday evening.

The award was given for his book The Love That Is God: An invitation to Christian faith (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2020). Dr Bauerschmidt is Professor of Theology at Loyola University, Maryland, in the United States, and is a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Professor Bauerschmidt received £15,000, and was presented with a medal by the Archbishop of Canterbury during an awards ceremony in Lambeth Palace Library.

Read it all.

Posted in --Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, Books, Church of England, Roman Catholic, Theology

(Washington Post) Older workers are a growing share of the workforce

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Americans 65 and over are playing a larger role in the labor force, shifting the composition of U.S. workers and reflecting a new reality where retirement has become a more gradual process for many.

The share of older Americans who are working, by choice or necessity, has doubled in the past 35 years, according to a report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. Workers 65 and over also are working longer hours and making more money than they were in the past.

“In some ways, this isn’t surprising: We’re an aging society,” said Richard Fry, a senior researcher at Pew Research Center and lead author of the study. “But it isn’t just that there are more older adults in the workforce, it’s that a larger share of them are working. And it tends to be better-educated, older adults with a college degree.”

Read it all.

Posted in * Economics, Politics, Aging / the Elderly, Economy, Labor/Labor Unions/Labor Market

(TVP World) European militaries increasingly reporting seriously depleted resources

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Great Britain, a principal ally of the U.S. military and the largest defense spender in Europe, has limited military resources with only about 150 operational tanks and around a dozen long-range artillery pieces.

Last year, the scarcity of equipment was so acute that the British military contemplated refurbishing rocket launchers from museums for Ukraine, but this plan was abandoned.

France, another major defense spender in Europe, possesses less than 90 heavy artillery units, roughly the amount Russia reportedly loses each month in Ukraine.

Denmark lacks heavy artillery, submarines, or air defense systems. The German army is reported to have sufficient ammunition for only two days of combat

Read it all.

Posted in England / UK, Europe, Foreign Relations, Military / Armed Forces, Politics in General, Ukraine

(Quanta Magazine) New Cell Atlases Reveal Untold Variety in the Brain and Beyond

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

In the 16th century, the Belgian cartographer Abraham Ortelius created the world’s first modern atlas — a collection of maps that he called “The Theater of the World.” The maps, drawn by Ortelius and others, detailed what was at the time the best knowledge of the world’s continents, cities, mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans and helped usher in a new understanding of global geography.

Similarly, the creation of cell atlases — maps of organs and bodies constructed cell by cell — is heralding a new era in our understanding of biology. Powerful sequencing and imaging technologies invented in the last decade are revealing with unprecedented detail the composition of human organs and tissues, from the pancreas and liver to the placenta, as well as those of other animals like the mouse and fruit fly. With these new tools, researchers can fingerprint individual cells based on which genes they are expressing. That information has revealed subtle and unsuspected distinctions among cells and has begun to illuminate how the diversity of cell types can be essential to the healthy functioning of organs.

“We’re at this amazing point in time in science where we’re now able to understand the composition of these cell types,” said Steve Quake, a bioengineer and biophysicist at Stanford University who helped develop the technologies that make cell atlases possible. “It’s changed the way we understand how human biology works.”

Read it all.

Posted in Anthropology, Science & Technology

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Nino of Georgia

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Almighty God, who didst call thy servant Nino to be thine apostle to the people of Georgia, to bring those wandering in darkness to the true light and knowledge of thee; Grant us so to walk in that light, that we may come at last to the light of thine everlasting day; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Posted in Church History, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer for the Day from George Adam Smith

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Almighty and most merciful God, who has given the Bible to be the revelation of thy great love to man, and of thy power and will to save him: Grant that our study of it may not be made vain by the callousness or the carelessness of our hearts, but that by it we may be confirmed in penitence, lifted to hope, made strong for service, and, above all, filled with true knowledge of thee and of thy Son Jesus Christ.

Posted in Advent, Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet to Zerub’babel the son of She-al’ti-el, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehoz’adak, the high priest, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: This people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.” Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?

–Haggai 1:1-4

Posted in Theology: Scripture

(Premier) Peter Ould says CofE bishops are ‘washing their hands of doctrine’ over same-sex blessings

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

“I’m really saddened by this,” he said. “There’s lots of clergy, evangelical clergy, middle of the road clergy and Catholic Church clergy, who are really disappointed that the House of bishops have taken this step against a lot of advice and knowing that it’s going to cause massive damage to the Church of England. So I’m disappointed that we, as a Church are putting forward prayers and we are doing it on such a narrow margin in terms of votes for and against.

“There are lots of clergy and churches who want to know how they’re going to be looked after if they dissent, if they continue to hold to the doctrine of the Church of England. None of that has been explained that this point.

“Some things in the pastoral guidance show that bishops are almost washing their hands of clergy and the doctrine. It feels like we’re almost being gaslit.”

[The] Rev [Mr] Ould said that just before the House of Bishops meeting, a broad alliance of Anglo Catholics and evangelicals had written to the bishops telling them not to go ahead with the guidance.

Read it all.

Posted in Anthropology, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, England / UK, Ethics / Moral Theology, Parish Ministry, Pastoral Theology, Religion & Culture, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion), Spirituality/Prayer, Theology, Theology: Scripture

(Church Times) Prayers of Love and Faith commended, despite final HTB plea

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

The House of Bishops’ decision to commend the prayers of blessing for same-sex couples was made despite a last-minute plea from leaders in the HTB network. Inclusive groups are urging churches to use the prayers this Sunday.

A group calling itself “the Alliance”, which comprises the current and former vicars of Holy Trinity, Brompton (HTB), the Revd Archie Coates and the Revd Nicky Gumbel, along with 23 other figures in the C of E, wrote to the Bishops on Monday, the day before the meeting at which agreement was reached to commend the prayers…

The letter says: “It is not too late to delay the commending of the Prayers of Love and Faith until the complete package of the Prayers, the full Pastoral Guidance and the Pastoral Reassurance are all presented to Synod.”

The Bishops are also urged to provide “formal legal structural provision” for those who object to the introduction of the prayers. Such a settlement “will enable those who feel compelled to pursue changes to doctrine and practice to be able to minister freely without their actions causing growing schism in the Church of England”, the group writes.

Read it all (registration or subscription).

Posted in --Civil Unions & Partnerships, Anthropology, Church of England (CoE), CoE Bishops, England / UK, Ethics / Moral Theology, Parish Ministry, Pastoral Theology, Religion & Culture, Same-sex blessings, Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion), Theology, Theology: Scripture

(RU) Terry Mattingly–Norman Lear And America’s ‘Deep Spiritual Malaise’

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

During “Sunday Dinner” press events, Lear argued that America was caught in “a deep spiritual malaise, and nobody is addressing it. The Religious Right did for a period and still continues to. But mainline churches don’t do that good a job of it. And the media don’t deal with it at all….”

In a 2017 testimony posted by Harvard (University) Memorial Church, Lear’s daughter Madeline described how her family’s spiritual search shaped her own conversion to Catholicism. “I’ve always believed in God. My parents believe in God, too. My mom was raised Christian, my dad, Jewish, though they would call themselves ‘spiritual but not religious.’ And so, I wasn’t raised with any kind of formal religion,” she wrote.

But faith, broadly defined, mattered to her father. In a 1992 Harvard address, Lear discussed his drive to explore the importance of humanity’s “mysterious inner life, the fertile invisible realm that is the wellspring for our species’ creativity and morality. It is that portion of ourselves that impels us to create art and literature. … It is that portion of our being that gives rise to our sense of awe and wonder and longing for truth, beauty and a higher order of meaning.

“For want of a better term, one could call it the spirit-led or spiritual life. … And yet, as a student of the American psyche, at no time in my life can I remember our culture being so estranged from this essential part of itself.”

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Death / Burial / Funerals, History, Movies & Television, Religion & Culture

(Economist Leader) Can you have a healthy democracy without a common set of facts? America’s presidential election is a test of that proposition

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Journalists should not spend much of their time writing about journalism. The world is more interesting than the inky habits of the people who report on it. But this week we are making an exception, because the discovery and dissemination of information matters a lot to politics. Don’t take our word for it: “A popular government,” wrote James Madison in 1822, “without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps both.” Were Thomas Jefferson offered a choice between a government without newspapers and newspapers without a government, he said that he would choose the press (though that is probably going a bit far).

As the turmoil at America’s elite universities over antisemitism shows, creating a political culture in which people can argue constructively, disagree and compromise is not something that happens spontaneously. In media, business models, technology and culture can work together to create those conditions. They can also pull in the opposite direction. Our analysis of over 600,000 pieces of written and television journalism shows that the language of the mainstream American media has drifted away from the political centre, towards the Democratic Party’s preferred terminology and topics. That could lower the media’s credibility among conservatives.

As the country braces for next year’s election, it is worth thinking about the internal forces that deepened this rift. You can take comfort from the fact that the industry has been buffeted time and again during its long history, yet somehow survived. The worry is that today’s lurch may prove worse than any before.

Read it all (subscription).

Posted in America/U.S.A., Ethics / Moral Theology, History, Media, Office of the President, Politics in General, Science & Technology

A Prayer for the Feast Day of John of the Cross

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Judge eternal, throned in splendor, who gavest Juan de la Cruz strength of purpose and mystical faith that sustained him even through the dark night of the soul: Shed thy light on all who love thee, in unity with Jesus Christ our Savior; who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Posted in Church History, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer for the Day from the Swedish Liturgy

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

O Lord God, heavenly Father, Who didst give up Thine only-begotten Son into grief and sorrow, that we might have peace through Him: grant us so surely to found our faith upon Him alone that we may have peace in our souls. Quicken us with Thy Word; grant already here on earth the peace which is a foretaste of the rest that remaineth for Thy people. And while the cares and tumults of this life beset us round about, guide us in all our undertakings by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may abide in Thy peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

Posted in Advent, Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.’

–Revelation 2:8-11

Posted in Theology: Scripture

(Church Times) Warm(ish) welcome for the COP28 fossil-fuel accord

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Christian groups have welcomed an international agreement, the first of its kind, in Dubai, on a transition away from fossil fuels. The speed and scale of this transition remains in question, however. Developing countries represented at the COP28 climate summit say that there is a lack of funding to help them to decarbonise their economies.

Although this was the 28th COP, the words “fossil fuels” had never previously been included in a final-outcome agreement. Patrick Galey, a senior fossil-fuels investigator at Global Witness, wrote on social media: “Imagine a global process to tackle malaria where it took 30 years for the word ‘mosquitoes’ to appear in decision texts, then that being hailed as a win. That’s how low the bar has been set for climate talks and fossil fuels.”

Talks at the two-week summit ran through the night and ended on Wednesday morning, nearly 24 hours after the proposed closing time.

The final agreement calls on countries to make a commitment to “transitioning away from fossil fuels” and to accelerating action in this “critical decade” to achieve net zero by 2050. It is hoped that this will send a political signal to investors, markets, and the world at large that countries are committed to decarbonising the global economy.

Read it all.

Posted in * Economics, Politics, Climate Change, Weather, Economy, Energy, Natural Resources, Ethics / Moral Theology, Foreign Relations, Globalization, Politics in General, Religion & Culture, Science & Technology

(1st Things) R R Reno–A Voice of Sanity

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Here’s another way of putting our present situation. We hear a great deal about polarization, and rightly so. The complacent middle ground is eroding. The Baby Boomer consensus is losing authority. As a result, the hard left waxes and woke revolutionaries are on the march. But the hard right grows as well. Politically, the extremes must be moderated; passions must be channeled constructively toward virtuous ends.

But mark this truth: One cannot be too “extreme,” too committed, in one’s love of God. Polarization dramatizes the stakes, not just in political affairs, but in our souls. A growing cohort wants to discern the will of God—and obey it. First Things has no interest in moderating that desire. Our vocation is to encourage, guide, and refine the desire for transcendence.

Like my young priest friend, we’re lucky to be a publication that stands for moral truth and orthodox faith. Yes, many in seats of power and with positions of prestige shun religious faith. To a degree I could not have imagined when I was a young student, today’s university culture is hostile to biblical religion. But our choices have become clearer as the lingering dew of Christendom evaporates. What we publish is now more urgent than ever, more needed—and more appreciated.

Read it all.

Posted in America/U.S.A., Religion & Culture, Theology

(NYT) A Year of ‘Unreal’ Fire and Warming in the Arctic

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

This summer was the Arctic’s warmest on record, as it was at lower latitudes. But above the Arctic Circle, temperatures are rising four times as fast as they are elsewhere.

The past year overall was the sixth-warmest year the Arctic had experienced since reliable records began in 1900, according to the 18th annual assessment of the region, published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday.

“What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic,” said Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and an editor of the new report, called the Arctic Report Card.

Read it all.

Posted in Climate Change, Weather, Science & Technology

(WSJ) Russia Has Lost Almost 90% of Its Prewar Army, U.S. Intelligence Says

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

The war in Ukraine has devastated Russia’s preinvasion military machine, with nearly 90% of its prewar army lost to death or injury, and thousands of battle tanks destroyed, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence assessment shared with Congress.

The intelligence assessment, according to a congressional source, says that 315,000 Russian personnel have been killed or injured since the February 2022 invasion, or about 87% of Moscow’s prewar force of 360,000.

Russia also has lost nearly two-thirds of its tank force, or 2,200 out of its 3,500 preinvasion stock, the congressional source said.

While it is widely known that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military has sustained vast losses in Ukraine, the assessment provides new details about the extent of those setbacks.

Read it all.

Posted in Foreign Relations, Politics in General, Russia, Ukraine

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Saint Lucy

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Kendall Harmon

Loving God, who for the salvation of all didst give Jesus Christ as light to a world in darkness: Illumine us, with thy daughter Lucy, with the light of Christ, that by the merits of his passion we may be led to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Posted in Church History, Spirituality/Prayer
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