Might the recession topple the patriarchy?

Reihan Salam at Foreign Policy seems to think so.

Emily Bazelon at Double XX doubts it – or, at least, she doesn’t see it as dire as does Salam.

But honestly: Would the death of macho be a bad thing? Would we miss it? Would men still be men without being macho men?

New National Institutes of Health head is an evangelical

Dr. Francis Collins helped map the human genome, and he is one of the foremost authorities in stem cell research.

So evidently not everyone in my tribe is frightened of stem cell science.

He rides a big red Harley, is a savvy negotiator, and loves Jesus. Doesn’t he sound fascinating?

An atheist who converted to Christianity in his 20s, Collins regularly pushes Christians to reconcile their beliefs with scientific theories such as evolution. He recently launched the BioLogos Foundation, which “emphasizes the compatibility of Christian faith with scientific discoveries.”

Dammit! Someone else wrote something on cussing!

I’d hoped that was my own special topic, but no.

Did any one else grow up with near-swears, like near-beer? Heck? Darn? Shoot?

Phew. At last, I can let out my belt

Evidently, size — just like age — is nothing more than a number.

I’m creating my own theology

And I’m pretty sure it’s going to be pretty popular.

And yes, I made the sign all by myself.

A new twist on some old songs

Say hey to Bishop Lester Love here.

Happy birthday, John Calvin

What are you doing to celebrate? Me, I’m going to share the only known (to me) recorded joke about Calvinism.

What does a Calvinist do when s/he is standing at the top of the stairs?

S/he throws her/himself down so that at the bottom, s/he can stand up, dust her/himself off, and say, “Whew! Glad that’s over!”

I never said a Calvinist joke would be funny, now, did I?

Pres. Obama may not choose a specific church

Instead, word is he may attend several in the Washington area. 

Earlier reports — later denied — said the president would attend services at Camp David. He withdrew his membership at his Chicago church during the campaign over statements made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Which would make him, by the strictest of definitions, “unchurched,” though for research purposes, unchurched usually means people who don’t attend church services at all.

Personally, as an unchurched person, I haven’t a problem with this, but some people worry that this sets a bad example. Me, I think people should create their own examples and their own spiritual practice, and not look to someone else for guidance, and I’m pretty sure I’m right about this.

Odd to see Jesus laughing, yes?

But he probably did, right? I mean, it wasn’t all Golgotha, right?

And thanks, Jesus of the Week.

But…but…whatever happened to the Ugly American?

A survey says the French are the world’s worst tourists — not, as one might surmise, us.