Response to Thomas Sowell

Syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell, whose writings are published regularly on our local newspaper's opinion page, made several statements in a recent column which demand a reply.  He opened the column by railing against American officials quoted in a New York Times article who stated that there would be a “proportional response” to any North Korean attack.  Calling it a “clever new notion,” Sowell made clear his contempt for the idea that a military response should be proportional to the original attack rather than massive and overwhelming.

The Still Small Voice

It’s a blessing that believers both welcome and dread – that still, small voice that whispers in the ear or blazes in the heart – a sense of call too urgent and demanding to resist.  Hearing the voice of God speaking to us can be comforting and disturbing, challenging and disorienting.  It can bring a sense of deep calm or profound unease.  It can turn our lives upside down, or confirm the path on which we are already set.  We may respond with fear and trembling, with dig-in-the-heels resistance, with overwhelming gratitude – or maybe with a mix of all those emotions and more.