VERSION|0.5.1|SUBJECT|Rev Dr. (hon. Kingston) Dr. (hon. St. Andrews) Joel Edwards, the international director of Micah Challenge  |CONTENT|[b]Rating[/b] 4 out of 5 (Highly platitudinous)

[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130416.html][img=images/2013/04/pic130416.jpg popup=false float=right][/url]I wanted to talk to you today about the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_from_Birmingham_Jail]letter from Birmingham jail[/url]. Unfortunately, the news is so big this morning, that I can't ignore it. So somehow I have to make Martin Luther King's letter seem relevant to a [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22162884]terrorist attack that targeted innocent bystanders[/url] who were cheering on charity runners in the Boston Marathon.

It will not surprise you to learn that I have absolutely nothing to say on the subject. Nevertheless, I will continue to waste precious news time by connecting many trite phrases together. There will be words, big words. Many splendid adjectives will add to the sense that I am actually saying something. You will nod your head in agreement with my sentiments and shake your head when I describe the senseless carnage.

Upon reflection, you will discover that I have in fact told you nothing that you did not already know. This is the skill of the preacher: to tell you what you already know using many, many words, to echo the same feelings over and over again, each time making it sound as if I am saying something new. It is a skill that has been refined over the years. My words are spoken with confidence. They sound authoritative and well informed, convincing. The tone is serious and engaging. Not everyone exhibits these skills but the craft is crucial to all preachers, politicians and Arthur-Daley-like second hand car salesmen.

I could go on for hours like this. I'll drop in words like "theology" and "philosophy", the kind of words that educated intellectuals admire and wish they knew something about. You would be quite amazed at just how long I can deliver seemingly endless statements without actually conveying any information of any kind. 

And that is the connection between Martin Luther King's letter and yesterday's bombing of bystanders at the Boston Marathon.

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017s1hm]Listen/Read[/url]|CATEGORIES|23,32|IP-ADDRESS|94.168.119.214|CREATEDBY|admin|DATE|1366096950
