EthixBytes

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EthixBytes
A Collection of Quotes, Comments, Statistics, and News Items

“Five months from now, I wanted them to remember that this occasion brought them together.”
Luke Russert, 22-year old son of Tim Russert who requested presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama sit together at his dad’s funeral. They did.

“The idea that you have to offer someone a $10 million pension just to keep him around—there’s something wrong with that. . . . People taking compensation have a moral duty not to take it, a moral duty to be underpaid. If generals and archbishops can do it, why can’t leaders of large enterprises take less than the last dollar?”
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger to 30,000 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders (May, 2008).

“There’s nothing wrong with microwaves or mobile phones—they save time. But God will ask you what you have done with the time you have saved.”
Egyptian Coptic monk Ruwais el-Anthony.

“I learned that God reveals himself through Scripture and in general through creation. When we destroy God’s creation, it’s similar to ripping pages from the Bible.”
John Merritt, speaking for 44 Southern Baptist leaders rescinding a 2007 SBC Resolution.

“Only seven percent of pastors in this country are under age 35, and about 40 percent of today’s pastors will retire between 2015 and 2020. . . . a future crisis for mainline Protestantism.”
Trace Haythorn, Tthe Fund for Theologian Education.

“We will bring with us a Navy/Pentagon certified copy of Senator Kerry’s full military record and his writings and the movie footage you have requested. . . . We know the truth because we were there on the boat.”
Letter from 10 men who served in Vietnam with Sen. John Kerry who want Dallas billionaire T. Boone Pickens to fork over the $1 million (for charity) he offered anyone who could disprove the Swift Boat ads in the 2004 campaign.

“Afghanistan produces 93% of the world’s opium. The opium [heroin] trade provides $100 million to the Taliban each year.”
U.N. Annual Report on Global Drug Trade (6/26/08).

“Ninety Religious Right evangelicals met in Denver July 1 and decided to support Sen. John McCain as the president who most shares their values. . . . They are concerned about other issues . . , but determined that opposing abortion and gay marriage are so central that they have no choice but to support McCain.”
Christianity Today (July 2008).

“There’s now a pitched battle for the soul of the religious right. . . That movement is withering at the top and in revolt at the grass roots. . . What’s new is how widespread social justice issues are in the evangelical world.”
Former Bush staffer David Kuo.

“30,000 Americans die of gun violence each year, 80 per day.”
U.S. Center for Disease Control.

“Those who follow [Baptist Calvinism] out to its logical conclusion may eventually decide that there is no point in evangelism or missions.”
Roger Olson, theology professor at Truett Seminary on what he calls “Piperism.” (Baptists Today, 6/08)

“Capitalism without failure is like Christianity without hell.”
Investment billionaire Warren Buffett, arguing that not every failing business or investment bank should be rescued, but that homeowners who were deceived should be helped.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss always looks into you.”
Nietzsche.

“Let none say: God has blessed us with money and possessions, and then live as if they and their God were alone in the world. Possessions are not God’s blessing and goodness, but the opportunities of service which God entrusts to us.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Unless and until there is a safe place to which the victims themselves can report abuse with some reasonable expectation of being objectively heard . . . everything else will be window dressing.”
Christa Brown (SNAP), in response to the SBC rejection of a database of Baptist ministers convicted of sexual abuse.

“5 million opposite-sex couples in the U.S. live together unmarried, up from half-a-million in 1970.”
Leadership (Summer, 2008).

“Beware the terrible simplifiers.”
Historian Jacob Burckhardt (PBS.org, May 4).