Holy Week Thoughts

By Bobby

What Happened in Des Moines. The philosophy of the John Dewey era of education, and further, has been one of “there is no right or wrong; it is just how you feel”. Feelings replaces facts in our education system. A popular teaching tool in the “Outcome-Based Education” is referred commonly as “invented spelling,” where they anything goes, and if it’s wrong, they tolerate it, and treat it as if it was “correct” when it is not.

Sadly, the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court voiding that state’s law declaring marriage “between one man and one woman” means the courts have used their feelings to effectively declare legislation passed by people and or legislatures in that state are null and void, and whatever is declared by people in Bruxelles through the European Union or other European laws is the law of this land – and the courts have declared foreign legislation that they feel is what they want overrides what is passed by the people.

We seriously need to consider what ensued when courts are now overruling people, and using their feelings to push an agenda that is clearly sinful. My scare is that more activists will sue everywhere in an attempt to force their agenda down our throats. The people no longer matter when foreign laws can usurp laws of this state and country. At this rate, what’s next?

I’m Tired of the Karaoke. At Cooper River Bridge Run XXXII, “live entertainment” featured bands, soloists, and other such “pop singers” that irritate this classically trained tenor. But the real issue here once again is the type of role models today’s music is teaching. We are developing in “talent shows” (especially in beauty pageants), churches, and bars a generation of teenage girls who only sing to karaoke. Ingrid Schleuter once commented in a column she did not want “screeching females performing karaoke” in the church.

Unfortunately, musical performances today are based on the idea that screeching females doing karaoke is standard. How many times in churches today have you seen “music” offerings feature a female who only screeches to karaoke, whether it is pop, rock, or country? How many strong tenors, passionate sopranos, or live organists are there today? When today’s youth prefer karaoke to having live music, something is clearly suspicious. Why do many of today’s young girls think karaoke is better than the real thing? I quit choir at church because of karaoke and also dancing teens replacing the church choir, with the attitude of entertainment is more important than teaching God’s Word.

Cooper Speed. The 32nd renewal of the Charleston classic was a nice time for me. At 1:03:25, it was the fastest 10k in my five plus years of going 10,000 – as one of which beats my old 10k record by over three minutes, and the Bridge Run record by six minutes (reflects both Pearman and Ravenel courses).

No Holy Week. Traditionally a first Saturday in April race, the Cooper River Bridge Run XXXIII is set for March 27 because the Bridge Run has a No Holy Week rule. The race is never held on Holy Week. Cooper River Bridge Run I (9,850 m by police order; Benji Durden, an elite American runner marathoner whose Olympic dreams were shattered by President Carter, won) in 1978 was run at 10 AM on a Sunday morning, and was immediately criticised by the community. The Meeting Street run to the White Point Gardens at the Battery (the USL minor league soccer team’s name relates to the region, even though the Battery soccer team plays on Daniel Island) goes through numerous classic churches that criticised the race, and since 1979 the race has been run on Saturday. The current course goes through at least two churches, but the finish area in Marion Square is next to another church.

How Old We’ve Become. The packet pickup at the Bridge Run, at the Gailliard Auditorium (home of Spoleto), showed a classic video of Cooper River Bridge Run XXVIII, my first Bridge Run. The broadcast of the event was carried by WCSC, with 30-year sports (and 11 PM news in the early 2000’s) anchorman Warren Peper (now with the local newspaper) calling. He was let go later in the year, only to reemerge a year later as newsman in a rival station (WCBD) until earlier this year.

Speaking of Peper. We think of newspapers dying, but Mr. Peper, a lifelong Charlestonian (North Charleston High School, later played for Charleston Southern's basketball team, before his first television gig out of college, where he stayed 30 years) who had been on television media for 35 years (1974-2004; 2005-2009) has left the television media in favour of being part of the Charleston Post and Courier as the newspaper's multimedia editor. The thing that's unusual is a veteran journalist in his 50's is no longer tolerated in today's media world that the newspapers are hiring them. Of course, I remember that I grew up watching him on the news each night, with that signature “Get outta here!” on every ding-dong during an MLB, NCAA, American Legion, or high school baseball game that I sometimes say it when watching a game myself. Many in Charleston still remember the furor over his departure in 2004..

Converting Sports Anchors. This reminded me of an article I read a while back regarding the dearth of anchormen on television today, especially at the local markets. Many stations have given up on the idea and have two women on news. Others are converting sports reporters to the news desk. In Charleston, two of the three newsmen who front the 6 PM news are converted sports reporters, yet the one who is not is the most popular, having been there 36 years.

Let us remember that this week is a week we remember the trial, the crucifixion, the agony, and the pain . . . only to see what came ahead the ensuing Sunday. It still has me thinking of the day my voice teacher and I walked solemnly to our cars after a somber piece that made us reflect on Holy Week.