When Optimism Wears Thin
 
I'm not the news junkie I once was, but I still try to keep up with the news in the world around us. Like many Americans, I no longer subscribe to a printed newspaper, but my morning routine includes a cup of coffee and browsing the pages at CNN.com, Google News, and other online news sources. I want to be aware of as many points of view as possible, so I often visit slate.com, salon.com, the opinion page at the Wall Street Journal, or nationalreview.com. I also receive a daily news update from Christianity Today, which I have found to be valuable in putting things into perspective. Plus I read something called Presbyweb, which requires a subscription, but is the only reliable source for news of the PCUSA. 
 
Maybe I shouldn't read so much. It has me depressed.  The economy is a mess and no one seems to know what to do with it. I'm hardly enthused with our choices in next month's election (if you are, please tell me why – I'm ready for some encouragement). The culture war has deteriorated to World War I style trench warfare; the casualties are high and the prospects for peace are low. If the economy is heading towards a meltdown, our denomination has already arrived there.  Continue Reading »