"If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.” — Thomas Jefferson
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The Media Is Ready to Hold Trump to a Lower Standard I’m not sure that I can improve on TNR’s Matt Ford’s assessment of President Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter as “a quintessentially corrupt act.” That just about covers it. With scant weeks remaining in Biden’s term, his act will look even worse if he fails to extend the same sweeping protection to the numerous other people threatened by the incoming Trump administration—to say nothing of the many nonviolent drug offenders who, unlike Hunter, are doing time in federal prisons. But, this being Washington, there is always some reprobate lying around with an even worse idea than the one making all the headlines. Congratulations to Marc Thiessen, an inexplicable survivor of multiple rounds of Washington Post layoffs, and his American Enterprise Institute podcast host Danielle Pletka for suggesting an even more rancid use of Biden’s pardon power: Use it to take Donald Trump off the hook. (New Republic 12/7/24) READMORE>>>>> Washington Post won’t endorse candidate in 2024 presidential election after Bezos decision For the first time in decades, The Washington Post will not endorse a candidate in this year’s presidential election, the newspaper’s publisher announced Friday, a decision that sparked widespread outrage among the paper’s staffers. “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election,” Post publisher Will Lewis said in a statement. “We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.” The Post reported the decision not to endorse was made by the newspaper’s billionaire owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, citing two sources briefed on the matter.(CNN 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>> Fired News Anchors Who Wouldn't Just Go Away In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, editor Leonard Downie Jr. — who worked on The Post's history-making story about the Watergate cover-up — suggested that the way forward for the journalistic profession is to move beyond outdated ideas of "objectivity." Instead of seeing nonpartisanship as a virtue, Downie wrote, newsrooms should focus on building trust with readers. Joseph Kahn, executive editor of The New York Times, told Downie, "When the evidence is there, we should be clear and direct with our audience that we don't think there are multiple sides to this question, this is a falsehood. And the person repeating this falsehood over and over is guilty of lying." (The List 6/1/24)READ MORE>>>>> Trump “Playing Chicken” Says Ex-Conservative Columnist In her Washington Post column, Rubin wrote that the GOP party “has grievously betrayed democracy and abandoned simple decency and honesty. Whatever alternative to the toxic waste dump of the Trump GOP arises to replace it may be worth considering — but only if it embodies the most basic American creed (‘We the people. . .’) and abandons veneration of authoritarianism.” (2paragraphs 5/20/24) READ MORE>>>>> Washington Post reporter Puko departs Climate and energy reporter Tim Puko has left the Washington Post via its buyout offer. He had been leading coverage of the Biden administration and write about how influential figures in Washington and around the world make decisions about climate and environmental policy. (Chris Roush/Talking Biz News 1/2/24) READ MORE>>>>> |
February 2025
As Vardanyan’s trial moves forward, perhaps he will have a friend in Washington. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Oct. 23: 'When I am President, I will protect persecuted Christians, I will work to stop the violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan.'"
June 6, 2025
October 25, 2024: Wapo publisher Will Lewis: “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election. We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates.” October 25, 2024: Marty Baron, the Post’s former executive editor who led the newspaper through its coverage of the January 6, 2021, attack announced" “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty. Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Bezos (and others),” Baron wrote in a social media post. “Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.” |
Washington Post Jan 7, 2021
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Dec 23, 2023
Christina Passariello
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n a day when “miracles” seem old-fashioned and out-of-touch, George Gallup Jr. says he keeps finding them in his polling data.
Gallup’s polling has explored America’s political and economic beliefs, as he puts it, “ad nauseum.” But his number-crunching also has helped lead him to something else: a deep spiritual experience.
Some of Gallup’s modern-day miracles:
· A surprising 41 percent of the nation’s teenagers go to organized Bible studies.
· Sixty-four percent of Americans believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is a living presence.
· Forty-two percent hold to a literal view of the Bible.
· 1.5 billion of the Earth’s population claim to be Christians.
· Most Americans believe Jesus Christ to have been totally free from sin.
Gallup told a recent breakfast gathering at the University Club, sponsored by “Here’s Life Washington,” that only three out of 100 Americans say Jesus Christ has had absolutely no influence on them.
In view of these figures, Gallup raises the question, “Why do people look elsewhere for the meaning in life?”
Many people, he added in an interview, avoid existential questions such as “Why am I here?” and “What is the purpose of my life?”
Gallup, 61, said he believes God is accessible, and it does not require a gigantic intellectual struggle to know him. “I have always felt the power of the logic in the question, ‘Was Jesus a liar, a madman, or was he the Son of God?’”
While becoming a Christian is a decision to accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, Gallup said, living the Christian life is a growth experience. “God’s plan for our lives is continually revealed to us as we seek to grow in obedience to Him.”
Gallup credits his wife and prayer partner of 33 years, Kingsley, as an essential part of his faith-deepening process. He considers a prayer partner a gift from God.
The Gallups regularly meet in small groups for Bible study and prayer. “We have experienced many miracles in our group – mostly miracles in healed relationships,” he said.
Kingsley Gallup said the Tuesday night meeting is always the highlight of their week. “It has given a new order and focus to our lives,” she said. “It certainly enriches the church experience on Sunday.” The Gallups attend All Saints Episcopal Church in Princeton, N.J.
The small group, which Kingsley Gallup calls a “covenant group,” has met regularly for almost four years. She said her personal growth can be marked from the time she committed to the group. The weekly meeting is divided into three segments of 30 minutes, sharing thoughts on a particular issue, Bible study and prayer.
George Gallup speaks of knowledge and behavior gaps when referring to American spirituality. Eight of 10 profess to be Christians, but only four of 10 know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Many, he said, fail to relate to Jesus Christ so that he is involved in their everyday decisions. Before Christian creeds and institutions developed, Christianity was “an experience of the living Christ among the Apostles at Pentecost,” Gallup said.
Gallup also expressed concern about the anxiety many Christians experience in talking about their faith outside the church. “Perhaps part of the reason for this reluctance is concern over sounding exclusive in our pluralistic society. Yet if we deny our own faith, aren’t we being dishonest to ourselves, to others and to God?”
For Gallup, exclusivity is the key to accepting and even loving those who reject Christian beliefs. “It is only through the grace of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, that we have the power to love those who disagree with us and may even hate us.”
Ten percent of Americans fit into a category Gallup has labeled the “highly spiritually committed.” They are more concerned about the betterment of society, more involved in charitable activities and far happier than the rest.
His surveys show that they are more tolerant. “That’s one of the most important dimensions that comes out in surveys increasingly,” Gallup said. “The deeper one goes, the more open one becomes.”
When he was reminded that many people assume that the spiritually committed are less tolerant, Gallup said, “That’s right.”
Gallup’s polling has explored America’s political and economic beliefs, as he puts it, “ad nauseum.” But his number-crunching also has helped lead him to something else: a deep spiritual experience.
Some of Gallup’s modern-day miracles:
· A surprising 41 percent of the nation’s teenagers go to organized Bible studies.
· Sixty-four percent of Americans believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is a living presence.
· Forty-two percent hold to a literal view of the Bible.
· 1.5 billion of the Earth’s population claim to be Christians.
· Most Americans believe Jesus Christ to have been totally free from sin.
Gallup told a recent breakfast gathering at the University Club, sponsored by “Here’s Life Washington,” that only three out of 100 Americans say Jesus Christ has had absolutely no influence on them.
In view of these figures, Gallup raises the question, “Why do people look elsewhere for the meaning in life?”
Many people, he added in an interview, avoid existential questions such as “Why am I here?” and “What is the purpose of my life?”
Gallup, 61, said he believes God is accessible, and it does not require a gigantic intellectual struggle to know him. “I have always felt the power of the logic in the question, ‘Was Jesus a liar, a madman, or was he the Son of God?’”
While becoming a Christian is a decision to accept God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, Gallup said, living the Christian life is a growth experience. “God’s plan for our lives is continually revealed to us as we seek to grow in obedience to Him.”
Gallup credits his wife and prayer partner of 33 years, Kingsley, as an essential part of his faith-deepening process. He considers a prayer partner a gift from God.
The Gallups regularly meet in small groups for Bible study and prayer. “We have experienced many miracles in our group – mostly miracles in healed relationships,” he said.
Kingsley Gallup said the Tuesday night meeting is always the highlight of their week. “It has given a new order and focus to our lives,” she said. “It certainly enriches the church experience on Sunday.” The Gallups attend All Saints Episcopal Church in Princeton, N.J.
The small group, which Kingsley Gallup calls a “covenant group,” has met regularly for almost four years. She said her personal growth can be marked from the time she committed to the group. The weekly meeting is divided into three segments of 30 minutes, sharing thoughts on a particular issue, Bible study and prayer.
George Gallup speaks of knowledge and behavior gaps when referring to American spirituality. Eight of 10 profess to be Christians, but only four of 10 know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Many, he said, fail to relate to Jesus Christ so that he is involved in their everyday decisions. Before Christian creeds and institutions developed, Christianity was “an experience of the living Christ among the Apostles at Pentecost,” Gallup said.
Gallup also expressed concern about the anxiety many Christians experience in talking about their faith outside the church. “Perhaps part of the reason for this reluctance is concern over sounding exclusive in our pluralistic society. Yet if we deny our own faith, aren’t we being dishonest to ourselves, to others and to God?”
For Gallup, exclusivity is the key to accepting and even loving those who reject Christian beliefs. “It is only through the grace of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, that we have the power to love those who disagree with us and may even hate us.”
Ten percent of Americans fit into a category Gallup has labeled the “highly spiritually committed.” They are more concerned about the betterment of society, more involved in charitable activities and far happier than the rest.
His surveys show that they are more tolerant. “That’s one of the most important dimensions that comes out in surveys increasingly,” Gallup said. “The deeper one goes, the more open one becomes.”
When he was reminded that many people assume that the spiritually committed are less tolerant, Gallup said, “That’s right.”
An American academician went to Moscow for a religious experience that would have been unthinkable only a few months ago: He saw Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev join a group of Christians in prayer.
Kent Hill, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, was with a group of U.S. evangelicals who met earlier this month with Gorbachev.
Hill said one of the Americans closed the meeting with prayer. Gorbachev, a declared atheist although his mother is believed to be a Christian, did not offer an audible prayer, but photos showed him with his head bowed and his eyes closed.
Meeting in a Kremlin conference room with pictures of Marx and Lenin on the wall, leaders representing 18 evangelical organizations told Gorbachev about “Project Christian Bridge.” The project enlists U.S. Christians in providing spiritual and material aid to the soviets.
Hill reported that Gorbachev said, “It has been a long time since I met with a delegation that came offering to help and not to criticize.”
Hill describes the Soviets as people who have been humbled by their experiment with atheism. “They know what doesn’t work,” Hill said. “They know state-sponsored materialism, atheism and hostility to Christianity have produced nothing but chaos. Even the atheists will often concede this point.”
The Soviets are looking at other world views. As proof, Hill will teach for eight months at the prestigious Moscow State University and academy of Social Sciences. His subject: apologetics.
Hill seems suited for the task. In 1978 he spent seven months in Moscow on a Fulbright scholarship. He speaks fluent Russian and has a master’s degree in Russian studies.
The title of his 520-page book, released shortly before the Soviet coup attempt in August, has proved to be prophetic: “The Soviet Union on the Brink: An Inside Look at Christianity and Glasnost.” Hill accurately predicted hard-line communism would attempt to halt the rapid move toward democracy, but he also said that the Soviets could never go back to the way things had been. Too much change already had taken place.
In Hill’s view, a telling sign of the radical changes occurred when the Christian delegation met with a top KGB officer in Lubyanka, the headquarters of the KGB. The headquarters, with its labyrinth of underground prison cells, had become a symbol of political and religious oppression.
But now, a top KGB official is admitting past abuses and extolling Christian missionaries. According to a statement released by the Christian delegation, Gen. Nikolai Stolyarov, KGB vice chairman, said: “The role of the missionary is necessary. Any good that unites us as a people is important.”
During the meeting, Hill asked Stolyarov whether there was an official link between the KGB and the Council for Religious Affairs, the official committee that oversees religious affairs.
“I will not deny that such a connection existed,” Stolyarov said in a statement quoted in Izvestia, a Moscow newspaper. But he also said the connection no longer exists.
For a top intelligence officer to admit the KGB tried to manipulate Russian churches is a huge step forward, Hill said.
During the meeting, the Rev. John Aker, a pastor from Rockford, Ill., moved Stolyarov to tears with his account of how he had been involved in U.S. covert activities.
“Before I became a Christian,” Aker said, “I worked in Army intelligence, and my wife did as well. I did some things of which I was very ashamed, over which I had tremendous guilt. At one point I considered taking my own life.
“But I came to know Jesus Christ and found forgiveness. This gave me a sense of forgiveness, the promise of eternal life and a reason for existence now.”
Aker, who recounted the incident, reported that Stolyarov said, “I’ve only cried twice in my life, once when my father died and on this occasion.”
FaithProfiles.org mainly features journey-of-faith feature stories written by Carey Kinsolving for major newspapers. The purpose of this website is to encourage Christians to write and publish their own stories of God’s saving grace, which is the most under reported story on this planet.
Kent Hill, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, was with a group of U.S. evangelicals who met earlier this month with Gorbachev.
Hill said one of the Americans closed the meeting with prayer. Gorbachev, a declared atheist although his mother is believed to be a Christian, did not offer an audible prayer, but photos showed him with his head bowed and his eyes closed.
Meeting in a Kremlin conference room with pictures of Marx and Lenin on the wall, leaders representing 18 evangelical organizations told Gorbachev about “Project Christian Bridge.” The project enlists U.S. Christians in providing spiritual and material aid to the soviets.
Hill reported that Gorbachev said, “It has been a long time since I met with a delegation that came offering to help and not to criticize.”
Hill describes the Soviets as people who have been humbled by their experiment with atheism. “They know what doesn’t work,” Hill said. “They know state-sponsored materialism, atheism and hostility to Christianity have produced nothing but chaos. Even the atheists will often concede this point.”
The Soviets are looking at other world views. As proof, Hill will teach for eight months at the prestigious Moscow State University and academy of Social Sciences. His subject: apologetics.
Hill seems suited for the task. In 1978 he spent seven months in Moscow on a Fulbright scholarship. He speaks fluent Russian and has a master’s degree in Russian studies.
The title of his 520-page book, released shortly before the Soviet coup attempt in August, has proved to be prophetic: “The Soviet Union on the Brink: An Inside Look at Christianity and Glasnost.” Hill accurately predicted hard-line communism would attempt to halt the rapid move toward democracy, but he also said that the Soviets could never go back to the way things had been. Too much change already had taken place.
In Hill’s view, a telling sign of the radical changes occurred when the Christian delegation met with a top KGB officer in Lubyanka, the headquarters of the KGB. The headquarters, with its labyrinth of underground prison cells, had become a symbol of political and religious oppression.
But now, a top KGB official is admitting past abuses and extolling Christian missionaries. According to a statement released by the Christian delegation, Gen. Nikolai Stolyarov, KGB vice chairman, said: “The role of the missionary is necessary. Any good that unites us as a people is important.”
During the meeting, Hill asked Stolyarov whether there was an official link between the KGB and the Council for Religious Affairs, the official committee that oversees religious affairs.
“I will not deny that such a connection existed,” Stolyarov said in a statement quoted in Izvestia, a Moscow newspaper. But he also said the connection no longer exists.
For a top intelligence officer to admit the KGB tried to manipulate Russian churches is a huge step forward, Hill said.
During the meeting, the Rev. John Aker, a pastor from Rockford, Ill., moved Stolyarov to tears with his account of how he had been involved in U.S. covert activities.
“Before I became a Christian,” Aker said, “I worked in Army intelligence, and my wife did as well. I did some things of which I was very ashamed, over which I had tremendous guilt. At one point I considered taking my own life.
“But I came to know Jesus Christ and found forgiveness. This gave me a sense of forgiveness, the promise of eternal life and a reason for existence now.”
Aker, who recounted the incident, reported that Stolyarov said, “I’ve only cried twice in my life, once when my father died and on this occasion.”
FaithProfiles.org mainly features journey-of-faith feature stories written by Carey Kinsolving for major newspapers. The purpose of this website is to encourage Christians to write and publish their own stories of God’s saving grace, which is the most under reported story on this planet.