Roger's Bible Study

On this holiest of days -- the day off -- we turn to matters theological. Our lesson this morning is from the Gospel of Saint James, whose author recalls the woman taken in adultery:

I don't question Quinn's grief or the sincerity of her gesture, though I suspect that Quinn may have also queued up to receive Communion because it would give everyone at the service an opportunity to get a good look at her on such a somber, star-studded occasion.

Well put!

Seems like Sally Quinn took a bite out of Christ during the Tim Russert Farewell Tour even though she's not a Catholic, and hilarity ensued. Wolcott points out that Quinn, the Marion Davies of Our Beltway Betters, was given charge of the Washington Post's On Faith e-section even though she lacks a certain grasp of the fundamentals. What Quinn does have is connections to a higher power, namely, droning God-botherer Jon Meacham. To Quinn and her ilk, religion is another neighborhood/private school/gala charity ball where knowing the right people gets you in -- and by "you," she means her and not you.

Meanwhile, there are growing hopes that there will be a peace settlement between the Jews and the Presbyterians:

Seeking elusive balance on Middle East issues, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly on Friday urged its members to become "nonpartisan advocates for peace" and "a voice for the victims of violence in both Israel and Palestine."

But disagreement also erupted over the assembly's decision to endorse an Arab-Israeli peace proposal that Jewish leaders say would spell the end of the state of Israel. The high emotions around the resolutions underscored tensions in a denomination that traditionally has identified strongly with the Palestinian cause but has made an effort recently to be more sensitive to Jewish concerns.

...

Several Jewish groups issued a joint statement Friday welcoming the Presbyterians' move "toward balance" on its policies in the region but raised concern about the endorsement of the Amman Call. Jonathan Bernstein, director of a San Francisco-based regional office of Anti-Defamation League, echoed that view.

"It's a sign to me that we need to do more dialogue in educating with the Presbyterian Church," Bernstein said [somewhat incoherently -- RA].

Blessed are the cheesemakers indeed.

(By the way, Quinn's article on Pumpkinhead's passing contains multiple nuggets of found comedy gold, especially Tim's Friday Random Ten, the miracle at the memorial, and Tim's advice on heart health.)