It’s been a fun 2005, my first full year with the website. Some great thinkers have shared their thoughts here, including Os Guinness, David Limbaugh, Gary Bauer, Dick Staub, Hugh Hewitt, and others. We’ve looked at a wide range of issues, everything from stem cell research to Intelligent Design to materialism. Readers have been thoughtful, engaged, and (for the most part) polite. Thank you.
If you’re new to the site, feel free to explore. The Thought of the Day, the archives, the articles, and the Library should prove especially helpful and are updated regularly. You’ll learn more about me and when I’m speaking in the other sections.
To recap this past year at StanGuthrie.com, let’s replay some of the highlights. Enjoy, Merry Christmas, and hope to see you in 2006!
Best reason Christians should care about the Supreme Court
“There are millions of ‘values voters’ who have donated blood, sweat and tears to elect conservative Republicans to public office in order get the courts back on track. Our values prevail at the ballot box, but we consistently lose in the courts—whether it’s life issues like partial-birth abortion or parental notification, the meaning of marriage, ‘under God’ in our Pledge or the Ten Commandments on the courthouse lawn.”
Gary Bauer, October 15
Best evaluation of pop culture
“[F]or the most part, a toxic mix of loveless sexuality and senseless violence.”
Mark Pinsky, “Attitude Adjustments,” January 24
Grumpiest response to technology
“I don’t want to be reachable 24/7, and I don’t need unlimited anytime minutes.”
“Just Wondering 3,” January 3
Best answer to atheists
“It is often said that after Auschwitz there cannot be a God—evil is so overwhelming that it is the ‘rock of atheism.’ But as Viktor Frankl pointed out, those who say that were not in Auschwitz themselves. Far more people deepened or discovered faith in Auschwitz than lost it. He then gave a beautiful picture of faith in the face of evil. A small and inadequate faith, he said, is like a small fire; it can be blown out by a small breeze. True faith, by contrast, is like a strong fire. When it is hit by a strong wind, it is fanned into an inextinguishable blaze.”
Os Guinness, February 28
Best parenting advice (tie)
“A lot of parents want to be their kids’ friends, and they stop acting as their parents. I see this particularly with teenagers. Lots of parents act as though their kids are grown when they’re 14 or 15. They aren’t. They may not like being corrected, but they badly need correction. They need authoritative guidance, because they look big and strong, but they aren’t.”
Tim Stafford, March 21
“Time with our children is not assured. We don’t know whether they will grow up and provide us with grandchildren to bounce on our knee. Each day is a gift to be opened and enjoyed fully on its own terms. Don’t wait for your kids to reach a certain level of maturity before you enjoy them. Relish each moment. Don’t take them for granted.”
“A Midlife Confession,” March 7
Dumbest comment (I could only choose one)
“As a matter of fact, religion should have no effect on politics.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger, “A Tale of Two Governors,” March 14
Most sobering use of statistics
“According to the National Center for Health Statistics, some 2.4 million people died in the United States during 2002, or 845 for every 100,000 in population. (That’s uncomfortably close to one in 100.) For white males in my age range, the news is a little better. The death rate for us is a shade over 287 per 100,000. But in five years, it will be 420; in ten, 601. Then the slope toward death gets awfully slippery. In 30 years, it will be 3,469; in 45 years, it becomes 16,473.”
“A Midlife Confession,” March 7
Most challenging advice
“[E]ach of us must be more willing to give, both of our resources and our time, even to the people we think don’t deserve it—perhaps most importantly to the people we think don’t deserve it. Grace isn’t earned, right? Be open to buying homeless people lunch—smelly, dirty, scary as they may be. If you feel led, sit with them as they eat their burrito or cheeseburger and listen a little to their story.”
Mike Yankoski, April 18
Best one-sentence description of the culture wars
“[W]hat we are seeing is neither a trend toward Christianization alone nor secularization alone, but strong movements in both camps, leading to heightened polarization.”
David Limbaugh, May 30
Best description of the Christian’s responsibility for culture
“Throughout history, Christians have wavered between equal and opposite errors. We have either cocooned ourselves from the world, which means we lose the ability to relate, or we conform to the world and lose the ability to transform. Like Jesus, we are called to be a loving, transforming presence.”
Dick Staub, May 16
Most disputed prediction
“I wouldn’t own a single newspaper stock if my outlook was longer than five years. Their circulation is being hollowed out, and it is only a matter of time until their advertisers figure this out. The future of print publishing is in magazines, not behind-the-news-cycle papers.”
Hugh Hewitt, June 20
Most controversial statement
On whether J.K. Rowling is writing her Harry Potter series from a Christian perspective: “That’s absolutely false. Absolutely false. . . . These other people who are trying to make them Christian are ignoring what she’s saying. And I don’t think that’s fair to her. I don’t think it’s fair to the books. I don’t think it’s fair to Lewis and Tolkien, who really did write from a Christian perspective.”
Richard Abanes, September 26
Best movie tagline
“Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, battling Rodents of Unusual Size, facing torture in the Pit of Despair. True love has never been a snap.”
“The Dread Jurist Roberts,” July 25
Biggest (acknowledged) lie
“We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U.S. The actual figure was approaching 100,000, but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was one million.”
Bernard Nathanson, July 18
Best vacation tip
“Men, keep your hair short before going on a camping trip. You may need to comb it with your hand.”
“Camping Trip Observations,” August 10
