Latest news with #Ecclesiastes
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
No politics in the pulpit — IRS rule change will ruin reverence
The Internal Revenue Service announced on Monday that it is overturning a restraint on churches and other houses of worship that was supposed to keep them from endorsing candidates for political office. The root of the ban extends back to 1954. Then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson of Texas was running for re-election and faced a primary challenge from a wealthy rancher and oilman. A nonprofit conservative group published materials that recommended voters support Johnson's challenger. In what many believed to be retribution, Johnson introduced an amendment to Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS code, prohibiting organizations that are tax-exempt from trying to influence political campaigns. Many took this as an attempt to muzzle preachers. But the measure was rarely, if ever, enforced. Many liberal preachers, both black and white, invited mostly Democratic candidates to their services close to elections, giving them tacit, if not outright, endorsements. Their tax-exempt status was never canceled, whether they preached against the Vietnam War or in favor of civil rights. On one level, this is a freedom-of-speech issue, but not all freedoms are necessarily worth exercising. The larger question is: who benefits the most and least from the IRS ruling? Some politicians will benefit, but churches that see this as an opportunity to jump into political waters will be harmed as they will dilute their primary mission. Besides, many churches have members who hold different political views. For the pastor to engage in partisan politics runs the risk of having some of them leave. I would. There has always been a presumption among those advocating for more political involvement by churches that members are ignorant about politics and can't form their own opinions without instructions from their preacher. Organizations — liberal, but mostly conservative — have raised a lot of money promoting a fusion between church and state. I don't attend church services to hear about politics. Neither do I wish to hear theological pronouncements from politicians, many of whom misquote Scripture or take it out of context to fit their political agendas. The mostly defunct Shakey's pizza restaurants used to have a sign on the wall that read: 'Shakey's has made a deal with the bank. The bank doesn't make pizzas and Shakey's doesn't cash checks.' That's how I feel about politics in the pulpit: Politicians and preachers should mostly stay in their own lanes. Where Scripture speaks clearly to a contemporary issue, including marriage, gender, abortion, and the wisdom found in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I'm ready to listen. But don't let me hear who the pastor prefers in the next election. I am not without information, and neither is anyone else if they take the time to do research. Religious people have an absolute right — indeed, the country needs them — to express their views in the public square. Many of our Founders exercised that right, and the principles found in the Declaration of Independence and other documents reflected their worldview. And yes, colonial preachers frequently based their sermons on politics, praising or denouncing politicians. But that exception shouldn't create a rule. One of the reasons cited for the decline in church attendance in America is that many, especially young people, believe churches are already too political and identified with the Republican Party. For those who disagree, I quote the ultimate church-state moment. When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, He said: 'My kingdom is not of this world' (John 18:36). That ought to be good enough for everyone to put their priorities in the right order. Cal Thomas is a veteran political commentator, columnist and author.
Business Times
23-06-2025
- Health
- Business Times
Balancing wealth, health and ikigai through life's changing seasons
[SINGAPORE] In the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon, one of the wisest men on earth, said: 'To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.' If we are not aware of the season we are in, we may allocate our time and other resources to the wrong purpose. When we are young, it may seem like we have all the time in the world. Decisions come easily because the cost of a misstep is easily mitigated by the abundance of years ahead. Yet, as the seasons of life unfurl, we find ourselves with less of this precious commodity. The pressing question becomes: How do we spend our time, and where do we allocate our resources? In this column, I share some personal stories that have shaped my thinking, and explore how the seasons of life requires us to make intentional choices around three essential domains to living a good life: wealth, health, and ikigai. Wealth as an enabler, not a goal If youth is springtime, then early adulthood is the summer of ambition. In my twenties, I spent most of my time pursuing personal success and wealth. I attended academic, professional and personal development courses; I worked long hours, often sacrificing weekends, holidays and my health to achieve financial success. When I started my advisory career with an insurance company at 28 years old, I was motivated by the allure of money, titles and the privileges that came with it. I remember in August 1998, a month before my son was born, I had a tummy ache that wouldn't go away. But I ignored the signs and carried on working until one morning, I felt an excruciating pain near my groin area. I was rushed to the hospital for a burst appendix. But I got myself discharged in just three days to close an insurance deal. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Three years later at 31, I started my own firm to pioneer fee-only wealth advisory. For the next two decades, the pace was gruelling and leisure was rare. While that season of intense work brought a lot of personal growth and satisfaction, I sacrificed time with my family, especially with my two children. Thankfully, my wife kept the family together and my children grew up well. Today, we remain close. When I turned 40, my perspective shifted. I realised I had unknowingly and wrongly assumed that there would always be time to do the things that matter, especially with the people I love. So I began to declutter my life, reduce my expenses, and free up both time and cashflow to focus on what's truly important today, while still setting aside for the future. Now in my 50s, I'm even more intentional about how I spend my time. I've learned that it's not just about accumulation, but about mindful allocation. What truly matters is that my financial decisions serve the life decisions I choose to make in each season of life. Health: the quiet foundation When we are young, health is often taken for granted. I vividly remember my army days when I could do my 2.4 km run at less than nine minutes. I could scale the hills in Brunei jungle as if nothing could slow me down. I could play badminton non-stop for five hours and run marathons. I never worried about whether my body would hold up for another adventure. In my late 30s, I faced a sobering wake-up call. In a routine check-up, my doctor warned me about rising cholesterol. In my 40s, doctors found polyps in my colon and two non-calcified blocks in my arteries. I realised that the season of invincibility was passing. I could no longer ignore the foundations of health that would support the life I wanted. Recently, a health situation at home also meant that I need to have the health span to take care of my loved ones. These moments marked a shift in priorities. I began to carve out time for regular exercise, made healthier food choices, and learned the importance of rest. It was not so much about adding years to my life as it was about adding life to my years. Our health, like our time, is finite and fragile. As we age, investing in wellness becomes less about vanity and more about vitality. I have witnessed friends and family, once robust and carefree, sidelined by preventable illnesses. Their stories remind me that the season for building healthy habits is always now. And the later we do it, the lesser time we have. Health, like wealth, needs time to compound. Ikigai: Living for what is of worth The Japanese concept of Ikigai is about living for what is of worth. In the spring and summer seasons of my life, I found value in external achievements such as academic and professional certificates, recognition and material success. In the area of work, my ikigai was to prove to the world that Providend's model of advice will work, so I gave most of my time to it. Today, even as I enter the autumn season of my life, I realise that I am running out of time. My loved ones are ageing, my children have grown up and I am nearer retirement. Today, I travel more for holidays with my family. In the area of work, I spend time not just championing growth but also nurturing successors and strengthening corporate culture. Like it or not, one day, I will have to exit my firm. Unlike the weather, the seasons of life do not repeat. Some may not even get to experience them all. That's why it's so important to fully embrace the season you are in right now and have balance. A few days ago, one of my second-generation leaders asked: 'How do you balance growth and ambition with our firm's Philosophy of Sufficiency?' My answer: it comes down to accepting trade-offs. With limited resources, we must make intentional choices and learn to be content in the seasons we're in. Take a moment to consider: What season of life are you in today? Where are you investing your time, wealth and energy? Are your daily choices aligned with your ikigai? Are you living with balance? As you reflect, I challenge you to make conscious and balanced decisions in these three domains: Wealth: Are you using your financial resources to support what matters most? Health: Are you investing in habits today that will sustain your well-being tomorrow? Ikigai: Are you allocating time and energy towards activities that give your life meaning? In the end, we cannot control the passage of time – but we can choose how we travel through it. May you embrace your season with wisdom, courage and contentment. The writer is chief executive officer of Providend, South-east Asia's first fee-only comprehensive wealth advisory firm
The Herald Scotland
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
It's no surprise to us the hulking nonsense Glen Sannox is failing
The size and scale of the Glen Sannox, Caledonian Isles, Glen Rosa (and others) is singularly down to the fact that the trade unions and Scottish Government insist that the crew must be provided with onboard accommodation. Free board and lodgings to you and me. For the Glen Sannox, the majority of the upper deck spaces are taken up by the 33 or so ensuite cabins for the crew. Passenger spaces are squeezed around the side of the boat. Check this out next time you travel. This (hotel space) adds an exponential amount to the build cost and ongoing operating costs across many routes. Solution: build bunk houses at the pier side for crew at a fraction of the cost of on-board rooms and this would have three immediate benefits: less bulk above the waterline (using catamarans) meaning greater reliability of sailings; substantially lower build costs; lower operating costs – no need for so many cooks, cleaners and maintenance people and the like. All in all, this is a great example of a government with no spine or reverse gear to break with nonsensical procurement and operating requirements for a ferry service that will forever fail the communities it is meant to serve. Derek A Robertson, Lamlash, Isle of Arran. Read more letters What's so clever about AI? There was a stark contrast between two articles in Tuesday's Herald (June 3) discussing Artificial Intelligence. On page 15, there was Neil Mackay's "When AI kills off the ScotRail lady, you know we're all in trouble… is this what we want?" And on page 17, there was the Agenda article, "How to make AI work for SMEs in Scotland". Neil Mackay's piece is concrete rather than abstract; it lays out an argument that is coherent, intelligible, and intelligent. The meaning is clear; the language is of the real world, humane, and passionate. By contrast, the Agenda article, as a piece of prose, is almost entirely devoid of meaning. It could well have been written by a robot. Every sentence exhibits abstraction, and lack of precision. An example: "The application layer is not a black box, it's an enabler, a multiplier of human potential." I've read the piece several times, and still have no idea what the application in question is supposed to do. George Orwell saw it all coming, this eradication of meaning in abstraction. In Politics and the English Language (1946), he translated a verse from Ecclesiastes into modern prose: "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." Here is Orwell's version in modern English: "Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account." Well done to Neil Mackay for dumping AI from his phone. Dr Hamish Maclaren, Stirling. • Neil Mackay's article on AI strikes a chord with me. A couple of weeks ago while doing my weekly task of making slides of Bible passages for our Sunday service, I was interrupted by my Microsoft Copilot suggesting that "ecstatically happy" would be much better than "very happy". Considering that I was working with an already-typed document I was not inspired to make the change. Having had a few previous interruptions I looked for ways of getting rid of my undesirable "friend" and was delighted to find that I could uninstall it. A couple of sentences later there it was again, this time asking "Is a comma appropriate there?" I spotted the chat box and typed in "I thought I had uninstalled you." Instantly back came the typed reply, "Well, it seems I'm still here". Had it been delivered in the voice of Stanley Kubrick's Hal, I could not have been more freaked out. Who needs this? David Adams, Glasgow. Legal v illegal It is legal to buy and sell tobacco. Restrictions apply so that only adults, who know the health risks, can use it. That's all we need. Banning the purchase of a legal substance by birthdate is nonsense ('MSPs vote to ban tobacco for young', The Herald, May 30, and Letters, June 3). In years to come, can anyone visualise the application of this new law in your local Spar, where middle-aged adults are asked for their birth certificates? The issue is freedom of choice, as it is with the overly emotional discussions around "assisted suicide". The fact is, committing suicide is not illegal. So how can helping someone to do something legal be a crime? AJ Clarence, Prestwick. Beware of the lynx The proposed introduction of the lynx to our countryside reminds me of advice given when I suggested taking a walk in Californian woodland many years ago. 'Sure,' said my host, "...remember to take your gun.' Those walking here should be similarly equipped if the introduction of wild species proceeds. Wolves have also been suggested. These creatures are not jolly Disney characters. They are dangerous wild animals. Malcolm Parkin, Kinross. There is a campaign to reintroduce the lynx to Scotland (Image: Getty) The Red and Green blues For some reason, the Red Route tourist bus still goes to Glasgow Green. I imagine a revised commentary for visitors: 'This is the People's Palace, which is closed and behind it are the Winter Gardens which are also closed and on my left is the Doulton Fountain which doesn't work and has bits of the stonework falling off, so moving swiftly on, let's take you to George Square, oh no, wait a minute...' Stuart Neville, Clydebank.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dear James: I'm Not Very Punk Rock
Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers' questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@ Don't want to miss a single column? Sign up to get 'Dear James' in your inbox. Dear James, I'm not very punk rock. Not even a little. I'm well into middle age and experiencing my first taste of the many small indignities sure to come. I wear sensible shoes with gel insoles scientifically designed to relieve the pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis. I have long and detailed conversations about insurance. And yet, in my heart, I believe that all is mendacity. That virtue is impossible. That the system crushes us all beneath its relentless wheel. I tell hilarious jokes about the cruel pointlessness of existence and receive only blank stares in return. If the world were to perish in flames, I'm pretty sure it would be no more than it deserved. So my question to you is simple: Is this any way to live? Also: Can you recommend any good bands? Dear Reader, You are punk rock to the tips of your gel-cushioned toes, my friend. Don't worry about that. I'm sorry that nobody's digging your nihilistic humor. Maybe work on your material a bit, soften the edges, angle it a touch toward the mainstream? Day-to-day discourse, in my experience, can absorb a remarkable amount of savage absurdism, gags about doom, and so on (this stuff is highly relatable!)—as long as you don't come off as aggressive or out of your mind. As long as you don't come off too punk rock. To your larger point: How are we to live, make our way, proceed in the world when so much of said world is clearly an evil farce? (Huge pause while advice columnist slurps his coffee, stares out the window, and considers the question.) The punk rockers were not the first to have this insight, of course: The poets and the prophets have always known it. No one is more punk rock than the unknown author of Ecclesiastes. Or John Donne. Or Sylvia Plath. Or the author(s) of the Psalms, in certain moods. The trick, I think, is to use this world-withering vision as a stimulant rather than as a philosophical end point. Don't let it shut you down; let it wake you up. Use it to sharpen your senses and file your encounters to a keen edge. As in: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, but wow, this bag of Dunkin' Donuts Snackin' Bacon tastes amazing. Or: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, so why don't I help this elderly person with her shopping? Use it, this flame of disgust, to refine your language! Regarding bands, I have one word for you: Godflesh. (Cue sound of Godflesh fans across America falling to their knees in grateful assent.) It's all there. The beauty, the horror, the low end that purges your bowels, the guitar tone that scrapes the plaque from your heart. Start with Hymns. Wanting to be sedated, James Dear James, What are some great movies that have come out this year? Dear Reader, The last great movie I saw was Friendship. Profoundly awkward person (Tim Robinson) is absorbed at dizzying speed into charmed friend circle of smooth bro (Paul Rudd) and then—even more abruptly—rejected. At which point he shouts, in despair, 'You made me feel too free! You accepted me too quickly!' Genius. Feet up in the back row, James By submitting a letter, you are agreeing to let The Atlantic use it in part or in full, and we may edit it for length and/or clarity. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Dear James: I'm Not Very Punk Rock
Editor's Note: Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles readers' questions. Tell him about your lifelong or in-the-moment problems at dearjames@ Don't want to miss a single column? Sign up to get 'Dear James' in your inbox. Dear James, I'm not very punk rock. Not even a little. I'm well into middle age and experiencing my first taste of the many small indignities sure to come. I wear sensible shoes with gel insoles scientifically designed to relieve the pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis. I have long and detailed conversations about insurance. And yet, in my heart, I believe that all is mendacity. That virtue is impossible. That the system crushes us all beneath its relentless wheel. I tell hilarious jokes about the cruel pointlessness of existence and receive only blank stares in return. If the world were to perish in flames, I'm pretty sure it would be no more than it deserved. So my question to you is simple: Is this any way to live? Dear Reader, You are punk rock to the tips of your gel-cushioned toes, my friend. Don't worry about that. I'm sorry that nobody's digging your nihilistic humor. Maybe work on your material a bit, soften the edges, angle it a touch toward the mainstream? Day-to-day discourse, in my experience, can absorb a remarkable amount of savage absurdism, gags about doom, and so on (this stuff is highly relatable!)—as long as you don't come off as aggressive or out of your mind. As long as you don't come off too punk rock. To your larger point: How are we to live, make our way, proceed in the world when so much of said world is clearly an evil farce? (Huge pause while advice columnist slurps his coffee, stares out the window, and considers the question.) The punk rockers were not the first to have this insight, of course: The poets and the prophets have always known it. No one is more punk rock than the unknown author of Ecclesiastes. Or John Donne. Or Sylvia Plath. Or the author(s) of the Psalms, in certain moods. The trick, I think, is to use this world-withering vision as a stimulant rather than as a philosophical end point. Don't let it shut you down; let it wake you up. Use it to sharpen your senses and file your encounters to a keen edge. As in: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, but wow, this bag of Dunkin' Donuts Snackin' Bacon tastes amazing. Or: It's all bollocks and everyone dies, so why don't I help this elderly person with her shopping? Use it, this flame of disgust, to refine your language! Regarding bands, I have one word for you: Godflesh. (Cue sound of Godflesh fans across America falling to their knees in grateful assent.) It's all there. The beauty, the horror, the low end that purges your bowels, the guitar tone that scrapes the plaque from your heart. Start with Hymns. James Dear James, Dear Reader, The last great movie I saw was Friendship. Profoundly awkward person (Tim Robinson) is absorbed at dizzying speed into charmed friend circle of smooth bro (Paul Rudd) and then—even more abruptly—rejected. At which point he shouts, in despair, 'You made me feel too free! You accepted me too quickly!' Genius. Feet up in the back row, James
