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The Reformed Progressive on climate change

Tulsa Beacon

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I was deep into the climate change cult. As a former journalist with a discerning mind, I kept my head above water (so to speak) on the issue until around 2012, wherein social media became a driving force of human opinion, “community,” and crowd-sourced truth. In my mind…

Here is why Biden’s energy policy makes no sense at all

Tulsa Beacon

On the surface, this doesn’t make sense. America has an energy crisis. Gas prices are at historic highs. The international market for oil and gas is tightening. Some of America’s worst enemies – Russia, Venezuela, Iran and others – are prospering due to the lessening of exploration and production in the United States. Eight percent…

There is nothing quite a birthday with the one you love most

Tulsa Beacon

Recently, Cohen the Goodhearted turned 6. Each year his heart and desire to help others has grown. He is stepping into his name. I have been to all his birthdays, but this year I had to go out of town to speak at a conference. He was going to have an indoor swimming party with…

My trusty Underwood typewriter was handy 50 years ago

Tulsa Beacon

When I graduated from Hale High School in 1972, my brother Ben gave me a reconditioned Underwood typewriter as a graduation gift. While at Hale, I took one semester of typing (and one semester of drivers’ education). I actually got to be a good typist. I could do 40 words a minute with few errors….

Like my Dad, I have my own Pioneer Cafe family of friends

Tulsa Beacon

I was born in Marshall, Missouri. Soon afterward, my family moved to Kansas City, and later, across the state. When my grandparents died, my parents decided to take up farming again on the old home place in Marshall. Every trip we made to town included a stop at the Pioneer Café. Whether you stopped in…

Written history is beginning to make much more sense

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] Last article found that the pre-historic, pre-Columbian, Native American genome has significant modern Western Eurasian heritage with no ties to contemporary East Asian genome. Who were these people? All written historical records trace to the cradle of civilization. This becomes our heritage, whether European, Asian,…

A Reformed Progressive on Medicare for all

Tulsa Beacon

“Medicare-for-all” is a total pipe dream. American exceptionalism holds that we are a singular country on the international stage, and with regard to healthcare this is a natural fact. Never mind the solid arguments regarding Americans and her diversity of healthcare needs (unlike Sweden), nevermind the gargantuan landscape of America and its own challenges in…

Earthly fathers and our Heavenly Father hold a special spot

Tulsa Beacon

One of the highlights of my life as a dad is teaching my son Jeremiah’s classes once a year. He serves in a public high school in the Dallas area, where he teaches geography and coaches track and field.  Because of the pandemic, I haven’t been able to engage with his students for some time….

Native American genes mostly come from Europe, not Asia

Tulsa Beacon

[Why our area has its unique political and religious attitudes.] The research for this series of articles took a decidedly unexpected turn. Early mound-builders were predecessors of the people removed from the land, so that the forced migration could enter. From where did the mound-builders come? We left last article with the question “Did they…

Trip to Russia opened my eyes to problems that we now face

Tulsa Beacon

The first time I stood on Russian soil was in 1997 when the Alaska Air flight I was on stopped to refuel somewhere in Siberia. I was on a long flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East (on the border of China). The plane was about half full…