Review of Taylor Marshal, "Antichrist and Apocalypse"

 It has been a while since I have done a review on a book here, but I was sort of invited by the author to do so and I am mentioned in the acknowledgements of this book.  The book is entitled Antichrist and Apocalypse: The 21 Prophecies of Revelation Unveiled and Described (Colleyville, TX: St. John Press, 2022).  It is a well-written book overall, and I am honored to be one of the people Dr. Marshall chose to review it.  There are a couple of things to discuss about it, and I will get to those momentarily, but first let me introduce Dr. Taylor Marshall to you.

Dr. Marshall, a native of Texas, is a former Anglican priest who, in the early 2000s I believe, converted to the Catholic Church and has since become a very influential voice for the more traditional type of Catholicism - he is pro-Traditional Latin Mass, he is very conservative, and to be honest I hold many of the same convictions he does on so many things.  He has written several other books, most notably Infiltration, which is an update in many aspects of Michael Rose's 2002 book Goodbye Good Men.  He also has a podcast on YouTube and some other platforms, and much of what he says is actually quite informative but also somewhat concerning as he exposes a lot of weird stuff going on in the Catholic hierarchy. As a traditional Catholic writer, Dr. Marshall is actually very sound, is faithful to the historic Magisterium, and he also does not pull punches when tackling serious issues of concern to the Catholic faithful.  This latest book is essentially a study on the book of Revelation in Scripture, and it is sort of rare to see this type of book among traditional Catholics.  There have been other great studies of both Revelation and eschatology from sound Catholic writers (two of the best, in my estimation, are Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper and Desmond Birch's Trial, Tribulation, and Triumph), but this particular volume may strike a chord with potential converts from Pentecostal or Fundamentalist backgrounds, as it deals with issues they are more familiar with.  That being said, I want to talk at length about two areas in the book that caught my attention.

The first has to do with Dr. Marshall's identification of antichrist prototypes he notes in Scripture.  This one was actually quite puzzling to me, in that beginning on page 230, Marshall identifies King Solomon as a prototype of the Antichrist!  That was a new one for me, and I would respectfully disagree for reasons I will get into momentarily.  First though, what reasoning does Dr. Marshall use for this?  On page 231, he notes a few things that provide substantiation in his argument about Solomon: 

1. Jewish and a son of King David

2. Born of fornication (product of David's affair with Bathsheba)

3. Allowing idols and false worship

4. Building the Temple

5. Extent of kingdom

6. Some rabbinic traditions call Solomon a "magician" and "sorcerer."

7. The fact his tribute was 666 talents of gold

First, while most of these facts are true about Solomon, it in no way infers he was a typology of the Antichrist. Scripture is filled with examples of otherwise holy men falling into temptation and sin - it is called human nature.  The sin is not to be the focus of these examples, but rather God's plan and redemptive grace.  Another point that Dr. Marshall might consider is this - Solomon is credited with writing at least three books of Scripture (Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes).  Now, common sense will dictate that God is not going to use an antichrist to write his inspired Scripture!  That would be counterproductive honestly in God's sovereign plan.  Now, had Dr. Marshall said something like the Antichrist would imitate Solomon in some areas, that would have been different. Satan is said in Scripture to appear as an "angel of light," and he does corrupt certain things to deceive people, so I am not opposed to the idea that the Antichrist may mirror some of Solomon's actions, but it is very risky to call a traditional author of books of Scripture an "antichrist."  Now, was Solomon perfect?  Not at all - neither was King David, but God himself called David "a man after his own heart."  Neither was Moses - a simple act of disobedience kept Moses from entering the Promised Land.  And neither were the Apostles even - the disagreements between Saints Peter and Paul are well documented in Scripture, and they are there for people to read in plain language.  Were King David, Moses, and Saints Peter and Paul prototypes of Antichrist?  Not at all, and neither was Solomon.  Therefore, I would part company with Dr. Marshall on that one.  But, there is one prototype of the Antichrist in Scripture, and I noted that Dr. Marshall didn't even examine this, but I will briefly here.  

If one turns to Genesis 10:8-12, there is a description of an individual who almost looks superhuman, and Tradition holds there is a reason for that - he was probably a Nephilim.  He is described in the above passage as "the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord."  The person we are talking about here is called Nimrod in Scripture, and all traditional accounts of this individual suggest that he was the first leader of a vast empire.  The attributes given to this individual almost match those of the Antichrist in Revelation, more so than Solomon does. I dealt with this more in detail in my Genesis study I have on this site from a couple of years ago, but it bears mentioning here.  I personally believe the Antichrist will be some form of the same spirit that embodied Nimrod. While he may emulate some of Solomon's achievements, he will be no Solomon.  I think for those who read this section of Dr. Marshall's book, this should be kept in mind. 

Another area of interest here regards how Dr. Marshall interprets Gog and Magog, which are the subject of Ezekiel 38.  On page 103 of Dr. Marshall's book, he makes Gog and Magog the same as the Antichrist and his armies, based on the "red horse" passage in Revelation 6:3-4.  This whole Gog and Magog discussion has been one discussed in regard to eschatology for decades honestly, and most people get it very wrong. For years, as an example, many Fundamentalist and Pentecostal dispensationalists said that this was a reference to Russia, largely due to the Soviets during the Cold War, so it was politically motivated.  Some still carry on that mythos, now saying Putin is the identification of Gog and Magog.  I dealt with this issue several years back in an article I wrote in a magazine I briefly published, and there are a few clarifications to make.  First, "Gog" is a person, while "Magog" is a place.  Second, "Gog" is not a proper name, but rather a title that corresponds to the concept of chief or king.  Third, the location just does not correspond with Russia at all - as a matter of fact, it seems as if the location is east of Russia.  Fourth, many scholars and commentators of all Christian traditions have traditionally understood the Gog/Magog phenomenon is distinct from the Antichrist, and even preceding Antichrist.  With all that established, let me now give you my idea of what this possibly could be. 

I have researched this myself for many years honestly, both as a Protestant and after my own conversion to Catholicism in 2000.  I have read widely on this subject from a variety of sources, the most relevant to me being the late Greek Orthodox theologian Apostolos Makrakis, as well as medieval Armenian visionaries.  In reading these, there is one thing that sticks out prominently - people started writing about this topic between the years 1200 and 1500, and that corresponds with several things - the Mongol invasions, as well as the rise of the Seljuk and later Ottoman Turks.  There are countless references from these early writers that equate the "land of Magog" with the ancestral homeland of the Turks in central Asia.  In all honesty, that actually makes much more sense than both the Evangelical dispensationalist fixation with Russia or even Dr. Marshall's equating Gog/Magog with the Antichrist. And, given the recent souring of relations between the current Turkish dictator Erdogan and the nation of Israel, I am starting to think I may be proven correct as that is exactly what Ezekiel 38 talks about.  I am also honest enough to admit I could be wrong, and perhaps with further research I may discover something else, but in all honesty I have believed this for close to 25 years now, and no evidence has come forth to change my mind on it yet.  Therefore, while I appreciate what Dr. Marshall is proposing, at the same time the facts just do not add up on that.  

In all honesty, those were really the only two areas of disagreement I would have with Dr. Marshall's thesis, as for the most part I have been reading everything else he's written and it more or less does mirror my own conclusions on the issues.  Also, these two areas are not really something that are cardinal mistakes - Dr. Marshall just has a different conclusion, and although I do not agree with it I respect it because it shows he is studying what he says, and there is no fault in that at all.  I would strongly recommend Dr. Marshall's book, and it is definitely an important work for us as Catholics to examine at this juncture.  For too many years, the market was dominated with Fundamentalist and Pentecostal Protestant volumes on this topic, and to be honest, a lot of those were proven wrong - Hal Lindsay's Late Great Planet Earth, for instance, is now sadly outdated.  Even my distant cousin Perry Stone, who wrote that the Antichrist would be an Islamic Mahdi, was writing more about the political climate of the times (this was right after 9/11) than substantial Scriptural research over the centuries.  This is why in many aspects, even if one disagrees with the conclusions, Dr. Marshall's book is actually refreshing. However, if you are going to embark on a study of Revelation, it would be prudent to utilize his book alongside others such as Desmond Birch's or Scott Hahn's, keeping in mind the traditional four-fold hermeneutic - read for the Literal, Allegorical, Moral, and Anagogical senses of Scripture, and understand that all four of these can be true at once.  Thank you, and may you be blessed as you go about your daily business.

Melancholy and Openness

 As I write this today, it has been a while since I have posted much - a lot has been going on.  My doctoral work, for one thing, takes up a lot of time, and I have also been dealing with personal matters.  My mother, Daisy Thrower, passed away on March 28 of this year.  After suffering a fall due in part to a stroke she had in December, Mom's health had been in decline for several months.  This entailed several visits to the hospital as well as an extended rehab stay in a nursing facility in nearby Boonsboro.  With the passing of a parent, for those of us who have experienced it you know it is inevitable, but it still creates a shock when it happens, and this did.  After she passed on March 28th, I made the arrangements and had her buried with the VA's help on April 7th in a beautiful cemetery, Rocky Gap Veteran's Cemetery, just east of Cumberland.  One of the reasons for writing this today is that after a couple of months it is all finally sinking in, and I am feeling it immensely today.  There are a couple of insights about this I want to share as they are important to the story itself. 

For those of us who were in high school during the mid-1980s, it was still a time when network TV was still the primary mode of entertainment - this was before Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, and many people were still having to watch TV with either conventional cable or with an aerial antenna.  For those of us with the latter, that meant that channels to watch were extremely limited, and usually there were 3-5 local channels to choose from.  During this time, it was also the era of the epic mini-series, which was a multi-part movie based on a novel.  Many of those were really good, but three that ABC aired then are of particular significance because they were my favorites.  The first was the John Jakes novel North and South, which ended up being a three-part miniseries that aired between 1985 and 1994.  The second were sequel series, based on Herman Wouk's two books Winds of War and War and Remembrance.  These mini-series were top-notch productions, with all-star casts (Robert Mitchum had the starring role in the second, and Patrick Swayze in the first) and authentic sets - War and Remembrance in particular ended up being the most expensive film ever produced, at what amounted to $253 million in today's economy.  However, the effort was excellent, and the movies are masterpieces of modern cinema - nothing has come close to them since honestly.  Over the years, I have re-watched these several times, as I own them on DVD, and I always come away with how powerful those films really were.  War and Remembrance in particular always leaves a powerful impression on me, and over the past week I just re-watched it again and doing so coincided with a lot of personal things I am grappling with, and I will be talking about that momentarily.    First though, given that this is from a theological and philosophical perspective, I wanted to just do a short reflection based on what I am about to talk about. 

In the Psalms, King David faced times when he felt overwhelmed - the feeling of loneliness, of uncertainty, and of just loss is a part of the human condition - in Psalm 38 for instance, he writes "my friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stands far off."  Then there is the entire story of Job - he was in a bind himself, but never lost hope.  You wonder how that can be, but having been there and even experiencing this now, the answer is simple - I have no one else to turn to but God.  It is during those times, when one feels a heaviness and even is kept awake at night, that all one desires is a shoulder to cry on, or just to be embraced by someone who is just there - we often don't have that, and so we have to rely on God.  If one has a pet, they also can sense that something isn't right, and surprisingly they can be a great comfort - my little tortoiseshell cat, for instance, soothes me when I feel a bit under that strange magenta haze; hearing her purr while gently petting her is comforting; it isn't the same as a close friend's or spouse's shoulder to lean on, but it helps.  Now that I have described the feeling - which I am sure some can relate to - I want to now address what I call "triggers" that evoke it.

When you go through a lot of things hitting you at once, oftentimes you are just too busy to notice that it has an effect.  However, at some point, the realization begins to sink in, and that is when it can be really heavy on one's spirit.  For me recently, it took a trigger to evoke the uncertainty and other feelings I have had for months, and that is where War and Remembrance comes in.  In re-watching that last week, there is one aspect of a movie that many overlook, as at times it is often forgettable - the soundtrack music.  Soundtracks can be good, most are not-so-good, but on occasion a soundtrack to a film is so poignant that if it hits you at the right moment, it will evoke something.  The soundtrack to both Winds of War and War and Remembrance consists of music composed by Emmy Award-winning composer Robert Cobert (1924-2020).  Cobert was a gifted composer, and what he did with the soundtrack for these movies is nothing short of phenomenal, as they are the best film scores ever.  The music itself is evocative emotionally, as it fits perfectly with the scenes in the films, and the beauty of the score is something you just don't see anymore in film soundtracks (James Horner was also another one of those excellent soundtrack composers too).  The reason that this is important is that for some reason I felt compelled to re-watch both Winds of War and War and Remembrance at a time I was processing grief and uncertainty, much of which I have not shared with any living soul aside from God himself.  In talking about this, there is a certain lesson entailed I want to talk about now.

Going back to Aquinas, there are three transcendental properties of being which are not only associated with having their source in God, but indeed God is seen as the fulness of all three - those are Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.  The creative aspects of the arts really should bring alive those attributes, and music is no different.  The eminent conservative philosopher Sir Roger Scruton talks about this at length in his book The Aesthetics of Music when he talks about the German term Einfulung, which is a type of empathy entailed with interaction by a person with a piece of art.  As he notes, this entails two aspects, the first being a more "subjective" state of mind, and the second being the effect on the mental state of the observer, revealing a form of knowledge contained in each - the observer enters into, in some respects, to the subject of the piece's point of view (Sir Roger Scruton, The Aesthetics of Music {New York: Oxford University Press, 1997}: 360-364). As he further notes, the expressive and ineffable go together, and the observer enters into the recognition of expression that is a continuation of imaginative activity which aids in giving a unique understanding to how the music is interpreted. What is odd about this, however at least in my experience, is that a piece of music may evoke a different imaginative vision than the composer's, and thus take on a whole new dimension to the listener that maybe the composer never intended, which is fascinating.  In other words, music is a powerful stimulus for evoking things, and the chords of a symphonic work or a film score can impact us in a way that the composer may not have anticipated, and that leads to something profound in the listener.  When the life circumstance of a listener is figured into the equation, the profundity of impact is more pronounced. That leads to something else about one of the transcendental properties, Beauty.

At times, the concept of Beauty that society conveys often wrongly equates it with happiness, but in reality, beauty can be sad too, and sad beauty is an experience that will really reach into the depths of the most sphynx-like of human souls.  God, as the source and embodiment of Beauty, often uses this to draw us closer to him, and at times he uses the most unlikely of things.  God does not just speak through things published in hymnals as far as music is concerned, as truly great music ultimately has him as its source, and the the fact he endowed human beings with creative ability means that even the most personally debased individual is capable of producing something of profound beauty.  This is why, when I was growing up, I often had a huge issue with the ultra-conservative Pentecostal mindset I had to deal with regarding my family and some churches in my younger years.  They seemed to labor under the delusion that the only "acceptable" music to listen to had to either come out of hymnals or was the chart-topping Southern Gospel hit of the day just because a "Jesus" or two was thrown in.  What such short-sighted individuals failed to understand, however, is that God is the source of beauty even in the natural world, and thus a humanity created in His image could produce things of beauty even when not in direct relationship with him.  Growing up in adverse conditions as I did as a matter of fact, I attribute God to giving me a love for vintage big band records at an early age, when most of my peers were listening to stuff like KISS or Michael Jackson.  The richness of that music helped shape me, and it kept me at a level to where I was not really subject to more destructive aspects of peer pressure.  And, big bands are not Gospel music and hymns by any stretch, but God used that interest to bring me to where I am now.  In other words, not all secular or non-religious music is bad.  If we said it was, we would actually be slapping God in the face by saying somehow his creation is not up to our standards, which is stupid.  Therefore, it is very possible to have a genuine emotional response to a piece of music such as Katchaturian's Valse Masquerade, Sibelius's Finlandia, Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps, Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, Copland's Appalachian Spring, or the phenomenal recordings of artists such as Mario Lanza. Into that group I would also include Cobert's film scores to Winds of War and War and Remembrance.  This is where I want to tell the story of my experience now.

Over the past few years I have been challenged with a lot of things - a divorce, the death of both of my parents, and some financial challenges brought on due to COVID and other factors.  I have been somewhat uncertain about so many things lately that it has been very hard to process things, but as I said earlier, at some point reality does start to sink in, and when it does it can be overwhelming.  That happened to me last night.  As I mentioned, I had just finished re-watching both Winds of War and War and Remembrance over the past week, and in doing so, again those movies made a powerful impact. Late last night, as I was pondering some things, the haunting melody sequence of those films came into my mind, and it merged with the concerns and apprehensions I have had in recent weeks.  As if all at once, all of a sudden the reality of Mom's recent passing hit me like a ton of bricks, as well as a few other things that have been on my mind, and as that melody from the films was going through my mind also, something happened - a heaviness and a sadness descended upon me, and it actually caused me to have emotion during my morning prayers.  The tender melancholy of the tune from the film score really hit me deep in my soul, and it brought to the surface how I was feeling.  At that moment, I actually desired a shoulder to just cry on, as the reality of everything just knocked the proverbial wind out of my sails.  Not knowing what else to do, I picked up my tortoiseshell cat Lily and just held her - she began purring and rubbing on me, and that was soothing.  Never underestimate the therapeutic benefits of having a pet; they do become precious companions in times like that.  At  that point, I just decided to open up to God, and for the first time in a while I was able to just talk - no one else was in the room, and all that was there was me, my two cats, and the Lord.  I believe he ordered all this for a reason, in that often he moves upon people in unexpected ways.  It was no accident then that I chose to re-watch one of my all-time favorite epic movies, but who would have thought God would use the soundtrack music of that film to touch my heart and bring me to a place where I could open to him about really what was burdening me?  I still feel a little of that heaviness, but to be honest, the soft beauty of that movie score has a certain comfort to it too.  I still have uncertainty about what is going to happen, and I also am starting to really miss my parents' presence now, as the realization is setting in that they are gone, and it is an overwhelming feeling.  But, it feels good knowing that God hears me, as do others who I know are praying for me too, and I cannot stress how thankful I am for dedicated prayer warriors who intercede for me - they do not know everything about what I am experiencing (to be honest, I cannot articulate a lot either) but their prayers do help me.  That being said, I wanted to just share a couple of other thoughts.

Being both a typical guy and also a native West Virginian, at times I come across like a sphynx emotionally - I share that in common with the character Admiral Victor "Pug" Henry from Wouk's novels.  I am not an emotionally expressive person, but I also do have human limitations as we all do.  In order for something to grow at times, it has to be watered by torrential rains in a storm.  The storms of life water the seeds of blessing, and without the tears of sadness at times, the blessing does not get watered.  The seed can fall on the most fertile of soil, but if it is not properly irrigated, it will not grow.  Often, when we are on the verge of a new beginning, something will happen to maybe break us so that we can shed the junk we have been holding onto through tears of sorrow, and it is at that point the gentle hand of the Lord comes and caresses us - He is our shoulder to cry on when we think we have no one else.  And, He uses things that we would never expect to make the breakthrough - in my case, it was a poignantly beautiful film score.  I needed to write this today for several reasons.  One, I am a human being just like all of you reading this - I face sorrows, uncertainties, and adversities, and there are limits I reach at times and need to just release things to God's hands.  Secondly, in writing it, I am hoping to encourage others who may read this because I know I am not the only one facing things in life - we all need that loving hand to reach out to us, and consider this mine reaching out to you.  Third, never dismiss or discard unlikely sources of inspiration, as the natural world is God's creation too and he can use anything to reach out to us and let us know he is there.  Finally, do not think you have to be a stone fortress of no emotion or a happy-go-lucky "Pollyanna:" you are a human being, and sadness is a part of the human experience too, and there is nothing wrong with just letting it go and even shedding some tears once in a while - we men need to understand that better. One of the most beautiful liturgies of the Church, the Armenian Divine Liturgy of Komitas Vartabed, even reflects melancholy - Komitas was an Armenian priest who was so psychologically damaged by the atrocities of the Turks during the Armenian Genocide that he ended up in an asylum in France where he spent his final days, yet this liturgy is one of the most profound in that it expresses "beauty in sadness" yet also exalts Christ.  We as Christians need to understand profundity again, as well as a concept that the Russians understand as Umilenie, that being an emotional response that defies words and often is expressed by the near-shedding of tears.  Tears are produced in adversity, pain, and grief, but they provide nourishment to the seeds of new beginnings most of the time.  Likewise too, Jesus shed His Blood and tears to bring the greatest blessing of all - the salvation of our souls and eternal life.  We receive it at conversion, and it is a grace (and an act of love) He gives us in the Sacraments too.  May that be our "Easter Revelation" this year as we continue to celebrate this season of the Resurrection.  

The Great Depression from an Integralist/Distributist Perspective

 

In assessing the financial background of the causes of the Great Depression, it is important to understand that underlying political and social factors were intertwined with the economic factors which produced this phenomenon.  In dealing with this, I am taking this from the point of two traditionalist Catholic positions, Integralism and Distributism, and will analyze based on many writers from those positions what created the Depression, and in many aspects how World War II aided in recovery.  However, some of the writers referenced were published before the Great Depression, but their insights are what many later researchers based their conclusions upon.

In reading Ben S. Bernanke’s analysis of this, he points to two factors which were underlying components in the Great Depression happening[1]:

1.      Failure of Financial Institutions

2.      Widespread Insolvency of Debtors

By the first, Bernanke is talking about the failure of small local banks to handle financial complexities of a national economy, something the position of this article will differ with radically.  On the contrary, the tendency of larger banks to swallow up smaller institutions, as was the case of “crony capitalism,” may have been more of a contributing factor in this.  This causes, as Crean and Fimister note, a situation where the sale of the use of money (excessive interest) is in essence a form of legalized fraud in that the use of such money is distinct from its alienation and thus makes the acquisition of capital more important to the larger institution rather than its circulation into the economy[2].  As Catholic philosopher/theologian Romano Guardini notes, the problem here is one fundamentally in the exercise of power.  He writes[3]:

“A more immediate danger threatens when power is at the disposal of a will that is either morally misguided or morally uncommitted.  Or there may be no appealable will at all, no person answerable for power, only an anonymous organization, each department of which transfers its authority to the next, thus leaving each – seemingly – exempt from responsibility.”

Brazilian Catholic philosopher and economic commentator Plinio Correa de Oliviera notes something similar when he writes in his seminal text Revolution and Counter-Revolution the following[4]:

“Private enterprise is more and more limited. Inheritance taxes are so onerous that in certain cases the federal treasury is the principal heir.  Government interference in such things as exchange, import, and export makes industry, commerce, and banking dependent on the state.”

The danger of this type of situation was noticed by Hilaire Belloc, who wrote in his seminal text The Servile State that this type of corporate capitalism (he called it “perfect capitalism”) would not be feasible in that no one outside a cabal of economic elitists the average person would be deprived of basic essentials such as food, and those who were among these economic elitists would overproduce, glut the markets, and thus initiate economic depression[5].  In view of these writers, Bernanke’s thesis about the cause being the failure of smaller banks is at variance with the views of these earlier writers, in that the larger institutions tended to grab resources for themselves, thus altering the markets and causing both consumer demand and market supply to become unbalanced, and thus causing the Depression.   Many of these same thinkers would not view in a positive light the idea of “corporate capitalism” therefore, in favor of the small business instead.  The lack of focus on investment in small businesses, according to these schools of thought (called Integralism and Distributism) caused many small businesses to falter, and thus adversely affected the local economy.  Bankrupting the grassroots market, then, would have been the ultimate cause of the 1929 Crash that brought on the Great Depression when seen from this perspective.

Looking at it from that perspective, it could actually be easily concluded that a fundamental change in the political order also may have aided in the evolution of factors that led to the Great Depression, as well as the civil and political unrest seen for many decades of the previous century.  Until 1914, there was a stable Monarchist political order – Hapsburg Austria, czarist Russia, etc.  When war and revolution destabilized many of those monarchies and caused a shift in the social order, it caused some upheaval in Europe in particular.  So, what does that have to do with the United States, which was never Monarchist and also where the 1929 Crash originated?  Although the US is a republican government, in values and civilization it was still tied to classical Europe, and according to many Catholic thinkers in particular – Monarchists, Distributists, Integralists, etc. – the collapse of the “old order” in Europe had a catastrophic domino effect that was felt worldwide.  Many scholars would even argue actually that World Wars I and II were in reality on 31-year conflict, and the Depression was located at the central chronological apex of this.  If that be the case, it would mean that socio-political, as well as economic, factors are what made the Great Depression happen. 

As can be seen, there is a variance in theories between Bernanke and the classic Catholic writers on economics and social theories, and that variance places the causation of the Depression on two different things – Bernanke and others like him would say that the small banks and small business was the cause, while Belloc and others would note that bigger corporate interests, allowed to grow unchecked in the new “corporatist” system, were the cause.  Personally, the second view seems to have more credence, as it does appear that larger interests such as mega-banks and large corporations sought to monopolize certain sectors and accumulate their fortunes at the expense of the local businesses that built the individual local economies, that in turn made a stronger national economic stability possible.  As the bigger corporations made it so they had international reach, they then could even dictate the economies of nations. It also would impact significantly local communities (case in point, the city of Gary, Indiana – the major industries who at one time provided an economic base in Gary eventually abandoned their endeavors there in order to pursue markets that were more favorable to them) even beyond the timeframe of the Great Depression. Although it sounds conspiratory, evidence suggests that a similar role is being played today by mega-corporations, especially the new “Silicon Valley” group that exercise almost a monolithic control over cybercommunications.  If this is the case, it begs the question as to whether or not a second Great Depression could happen, and that is something that surely should be paid closer attention.

---

[1] Ben S. Bernanke, “Nonmonetary Effects of the Financial Crisis in the Propagation of the Great Depression,” American Economic Review 73, no. 3 (1983): 258-261.

[2] Thomas Crean and Alan Fimister, Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy (Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers, 2020): 191.

[3] Romano Guardini, The End of the Modern World (Wilmington, DE: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 1998): 124.

[4] Plinio Correa de Oliviera, Revolution and Counter-Revolution (Spring Grove, PA: American TFP, 1993): 111-112.

[5] Hilaire Belloc, The Servile State (London: T.N. Foulis, 1912): 55-56.

There's Always One!

 For those of you who know me over the years, I am an alumnus of Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as a convert to the Catholic Church from the Pentecostal tradition.  While at Steubenville, I had the privilege of being under the tutelage of a brilliant professor by the name of Scott Hahn.  Dr. Hahn, like me, is a convert to the Church, and his story is very well-known.  He also has published many phenomenal books - some in collaboration with equally-brilliant scholars such as Benjamin Wiker, John Bergsma, and Brant Pitre.  He is a stellar human being as well as being a capable Biblical scholar and theologian, and his insights over the years have been a major benefit to me as well as many others.  Yet, no one is loved by everyone, and of course it was only a matter of time before Dr. Hahn's detractors would come out of the woodwork, like barnacles off an old rusty ship.  Some have disagreed with him before, including a former classmate of his and fellow convert (who is now a sedevacantist Catholic) but the name of Gerry Matatics, but for the most part even they have refrained from attacking his scholarship and resorting to ad hominem BS.  But, there is always one of course who will stoop to that level, and recently he revealed who he was.  

Sean Swain Martin, self-identified "doctoral student" who is obsessed with Scott Hahn

Sean Swain Martin is, by his own designation, a "doctoral student" now at the University of Dayton, and he wrote a book recently called American Pope: Scott Hahn and the Rise of Catholic Fundamentalism.  I haven't read it, and to be honest the title of the thing tells me all I need to know.  However, Eric Sammons, the editor of Crisis Magazine, did review the book, and it was worse than I would have thought it to be.  Martin is, just by his attitude, more than likely a theological liberal - he doesn't like evangelization, and anything that shows the average Catholic in the pew getting enthusiastic about their faith is for him a form of "fundamentalism."  This elitist snobbery (which bears a theological term for those who possess it - pompous ass) is something I have seen before.  About ten years ago, a similar attitude was expressed by Lee Roy Martin, who at the time was the President of the Society for Pentecostal Socialists - oops, I mean "Studies!" - made a comment in regard to a renegade theologically liberal Assemblies of God professor who used to be Paul Alexander (he has since declared himself "transgender" and is going by the name April these days - mental illness masquerading as scholarship is ridiculous but seems to be accepted for some reason) that really raised my hackles then.  When confronted with his controversial stand, Martin said this: "In fact, I would insist in the strongest terms that our scholars are more devoted to the Pentecostal faith than are Pentecostal laity and ministers in general" (Mark Tooley, "Society for Pentecostal Studies President Reacts to Paul Alexander Controversy," Juicy Ecumenism: The Institute on Religion and Democracy's Blog. April 10, 2013, at https://juicyecumenism.com/2013/04/10/society-for-pentecostal-studies-president-reacts-to-paul-alexander-controversy/ - Accessed November 13, 2021).  I see a similar attitude with Sean Swain Martin in his comments in the book about Catholic laity studying Scripture.  And, that leads me to a couple of observations.

First, what in blazes is the deal with these guys with the surname Martin??  This guy, Lee Roy Martin, "Father" James Martin  - seriously!  All of them are liberal, pompous, and they are giving that surname a bad reputation.  I mean, in collecting vintage big band recordings, I am a big fan of the late Freddy Martin's orchestra, but I doubt if Freddy, if he were alive, would have much in common with those sharing the surname.  And, I don't think it should be an indictment against others with that surname either - there are probably a lot of good people with the last name Martin who would actually be a little shocked at the attitudes of these jerks.  That has about as much to do with the subject as the price of tea in Taiwan, but it is odd that all of the culprits of the craft of pompous assery have the same surname.  Are they related?  That would bear more investigation, but that goes beyond the scope of this discussion. 

Sean Martin, like his distant cousin Lee Roy (if they are related) seems to have a similar disdain for Catholics who want to study Scripture, and he is really upset that Dr. Hahn has been encouraging them to do so - oh the horror!  I mean, think about it - Biblically-literate lay Catholics who become more appreciative of their faith.  After all, it might be a revelation to those messing with Pachamama idols or something, God forbid.  Sean, do us all a favor, bro - get a real hobby and stop trying to play theologian.  In his own words, here is what esteemed scholar Sean Martin thinks of you if you read your Bible daily as a lay Catholic, as Eric Sammons quotes him - "It would be difficult to expect each individual Catholic to be prepared to offer such a careful investigation of the different literary forms employed, cultural influences manifest, etc., in the Scriptures so as to easily move from familiarity to 'eminent knowability." (Eric Sammons, "Is Scott Hahn a Fundamentalist?" Crisis Magazine Website, https://www.crisismagazine.com/2021/is-scott-hahn-a-fundamentalist?fbclid=IwAR0kQYvUIHbNjI87KZOmgrUKEIIvq0vamZUViuy7nR_334jY0T1D6rP41Yw, November 11, 2021 - Accessed November 13, 2021).  Oh really, Doctor Sean??  I don't think that the average lay Catholic is seeking to be a textual scholar - they read Scripture for spiritual growth, not to be a Greek scholar.  And, if it does motivate some of them to study further, what in hell does it have to do with you, Sean??  Methinks Sean, like so many others, feels threatened - academics don't appreciate when people read for themselves and do as II Timothy 2:15 admonishes, "studying to show themselves approved."  However, Dr. Hahn is not your typical academic - he is also an inspiration as a faithful lay Catholic himself who happens to have theological credentials and he doesn't feel threatened by people learning things; if he did, he would not be an educator to begin with, would he?  Dr. Hahn is a phenomenal scholar, but he is not pompous or an elitist academic - he is a man who lives his faith, and has a passion for sharing it, and the way he does so is by discipling others to grow in theirs by knowing what Scripture says for themselves.  Sean, though, is not that devout in his faith I would bet - my guess, just by reading some of his material on his blog, is that he doesn't believe the Bible is even true, so he feels threatened by others who take it seriously.  Sean would be better off as an Episcopalian maybe, as a church of rich White snobs might suit him better than the culturally-diverse atmosphere of an orthodox Catholic parish.  And, it is possible that Sean is being bankrolled by rich White snobs who think like he does, so he has to know how to pucker up to their posteriors.  His scholarship, though, is lacking - he derides Dr. Hahn for appealing to the laity, yet his own writing style is pretentious, verbose, and also focusing on irrelevant crap that brings nothing to the discussion.  Also, Dr. Hahn is a doctor - Sean is merely a doctoral student, as I am myself - perhaps he needs to wait until he can prefix his name with the letters "Dr." before he claims to know more than someone who actually has earned those credentials. 

Despite how I just shredded Sean, I feel sorry for him - he is so limited (I believe Sammons used the word "small-minded") that he cannot even see what he clearly needs to.  And, it has made him a professional theologian who has no real faith except academic elitism and the idolatry of status he engages in.  If he doesn't have an encounter with the real Jesus of the Eucharist and doesn't get the desire to deepen his faith, he may regret it one day when the torments of hell wrack his soul.  I only pray he finds out sooner than later.  

The Wizard Clip Phenomenon - A Part of Local Catholic West Virginia History

 (Note - for regular readers of my blog page, this is part of a class assignment in my doctoral program, but it is available to all regular readers to enjoy as well)

Introduction

        When one thinks of the state of West Virginia, often an association with Catholic faith is furthest from their mind.   Religious expression in West Virginia - indeed in the greater Appalachian region - is often confined to stereotypes of eccentric revivalists handling rattlesnakes while being exhorted by emotional preachers shouting hellfire-and-brimstone sermons at them.  In reality though, there has been a Catholic presence in the state since colonial times, and it is a subject that has not been explored as much but perhaps should be.  

        Although for the most part the Catholic presence in West Virginia is primarily focused on the northern half of the state and has greatly increased since the late 19th century due to an influx of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe.  However, the earliest Catholic parishes in the state date back to at least the late 1700s. Many of them were established under the oversight of the Archbishop of Baltimore, and to this day the current Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia is still under the provincial jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  

        The Catholic history of West Virginia does have occasional vignettes of certain events and legends that also are endemic to the folklore of the state, and one of those happened in the 1790's at a farm just southwest of Shepherdstown in a location known simultaneously over the years as Smithfield or Middleway.  The incident is known popularly as the "Wizard Clip Legend," and this is what I want to focus on in this article.

Relationship to the Archdiocese of Baltimore

        Before getting into the specifics of the "Wizard Clip" story, there are two important Catholic hierarchs of the time who had at least indirect involvement in the whole matter.  The first was Archbishop John Carroll (1735-1815), who was the first diocesan bishop in the United States.  Carroll was part of a very prestigious Catholic family that included among others the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll, who was his cousin.  As part of his jurisdiction, many Catholic parishes on the "frontier" (including what is now eastern West Virginia) were under his leadership.  Archbishop Carroll was also the founder of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. 

        The second individual of note was a hierarch in the Church who was closer to the frontier and had a more direct involvement in parish affairs in the region, Bishop Demetri Gallitzin (1770-1840).  Known as "the Apostle to the Alleghenies," Gallitzin was of noble birth, being related to both the Romanovs of Russia and to Prussian von Schmettau family.  While still relatively young at the time of the "Wizard Clip" occurrences, Gallitzin would have some involvement with the situation later.  

        These two hierarchs are important due to the importance of the episcopacy to Roman Catholic parish life, and it is integral to the story as they are the ones who facilitated a Catholic presence in the area. 

Wizard Clip

        The "Wizard Clip" legend centers around the personage of a farmer by the name of Adam Livingston, who was initially a Lutheran from York County, PA.  A series of misfortunes led to his leaving Pennsylvania and settling in the Virginia Colony in the "frontier" (present-day Jefferson County, WV) region, where land was abundant and available. Despite the move, he still continued to have unexplained incidents that were inexplicable, and it led to many of his livestock suddenly dying off and other odd phenomena.  It led to a lot of casual talk among locals about the "Wizard Clip," and local clergy - Anglican and others - had made visits there to exorcised what they believed to be a demonic manifestation but to no avail.  In having a dream that he took as a vision entailing a vivid picture of a Catholic priest, Livingston then sought out the counsel of a priest at the local Catholic parish in nearby Shepherdstown, and that particular priest was the one he had seen in the dream.  This led to Livingston and his family converting to the Catholic faith, and soon after he was instructed to partake of the sacrament of Confession and to fast for 40 days.  The priest, as was later revealed, was Fr. Dennis Cahill who was the vicar of St. Mary Church in Hagerstown, MD.  With the help of a local family named McSherry, the Livingstons were able to get Fr. Cahill (who was initially skeptical of the experience) to perform an exorcism on the farm house, and after a second visit where a Mass was celebrated, the phenomena that had plagued the farm and its family immediately ceased. At this point is where Bishop Gallitzin enters the picture.

        Gallitzin at this point was still a relatively young priest, and he was sent in 1797 to investigate the "Wizard Clip" phenomenon by his superiors.  Bishop Carroll had ordained Gallitzin to the priesthood two years earlier, and when he arrived he interviewed the McSherry family, with whom he remained close for many years.  Gallitzin was somewhat more receptive to what had happened than had Fr. Cahill initially been, and he would be one of the major commentators on the whole event for years to come. 

        The exploration of the name "Wizard Clip" has been a bit elusive in research, and no explanation has been offered as to where this designation came from.  However, in local symbolism, it is often designated with the symbols of a half-moon and a pair of scissors.  

Conclusion

        It is important to remember that although at times folklore and legend may not bear much on a "serious" study of history, the local legends of a given area are integral in reality to their history, and thus are valuable for historical documentation.  This is particularly true in regard to a little-researched subject such as the antebellum history of the Catholic Church in what is now West Virginia.  Also, the "Wizard Clip" mystery, from a religious perspective, is testimonial in nature and thus of significant importance to a richer understanding of Catholic life and how it relates to spirituality as well as history.  

References:

Brown, Raphael.  The Mystery of Wizard Clip.  Fitzwilliam, NH:  Loreto Publications, 2010.

Campbell, Emma Mellon.  "The Apostle to the Alleghenies." Pennsylvania History 12, no. 4 (October                 1945): 323-325.

Devitt, E.I. "Miscellaneous Letters to Bishop John Carroll 1784-1815 (Originals in Baltimore                             Archdiocesan Archives)." Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of                                     Philadelphia 19, no. 4 (December 1908): 385-415.

Finotti, Joseph M.  The Mystery of the Wizard Clip: A Monograph.  Baltimore:  Kelly, Piet, and Co.,                 1879. 

Salt - A Lesson

 You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men.  (Matthew 5:13)

Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? (Mark 9:50)

Let your conversation be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)

I am a regular listener to Dr. Taylor Marshall, a former Episcopal priest who converted to the Catholic Church and is now an unwavering voice for traditionalist Catholic faith.  At the end of his broadcasts, he references the first of the above verses and admonishes his listeners to "go out and be salty!"  He says this to emphasize that we have a mission of evangelization as Catholics, and it's actually sound advice.  However, his mentioning that as well as hearing a similar sermon from late Presbyterian minister, Dr. D. James Kennedy, on the same subject got me thinking about what this allegory of "salt" in Scripture is really about?  In order to explain it better, let me first delve into a fundamental chemistry lesson about salt to give some perspective.

What we call "salt" is a chemical compound called sodium chloride, and if you look it up on a periodic chart, it is designated by the symbol NaCl.  However, sodium chloride is not the only salt, as the chemical definition of a "salt" is chemical compound of cations (positive ions) and anions (negative ions) which produce a electrically neutral substance.  This also makes it a type of non-conducive (meaning that it cannot be a conduit for an electrical charge) mineral.  Salts can be alkaline (as is sodium chloride) or acidic.  Other types of common salts are MSG, the notorious additive in some Chinese takeout food, and ammonia.  In the case of sodium chloride, it is composed of a cation (positive) called sodium, and an anion called chlorine, which is a gas.  Both of these substances are highly toxic, as sodium is highly corrosive, and chlorine gas will cause respiratory distress that can lead to death.  All of these factors lead to the study at hand now. 

So, you have two toxic substances - sodium and chlorine gas - that produce something that is actually essential for the human body.  And, this is the language that Jesus and the Apostles use in Scripture to describe the attitude of the believer.  There is a very important lesson in this as it leads to consideration of how two toxic things can be synthesized to create something beneficial, and here is the lesson.  Our human nature is by nature sinful due to the Fall in Genesis 3, and it possesses a trait endemic to the Fall called concupiscence.  As natural sodium in its pure state is highly corrosive and toxic, our human nature is likewise corrupted and can corrode our being.  Likewise, the law, while it has a good premise, can also be strangling, much in the same way as chlorine is in its pure state - the pure form of chlorine in liquid form we are all familiar with around our homes is something called bleach.  If you are around bleach for too long, it can be very rough on the respiratory system, but also there is another problem - chlorine bleach, if mixed with another alkaline substance such as ammonia, can be highly toxic and will kill you, as it gives off noxious fumes - I learned that the hard way many years back when trying to clean a cat litter box with bleach; big mistake there!  It took me several hours to recover from exposure to those fumes, which when they reacted actually produced a vapor cloud that was so toxic that one had to leave the area.  The Law is like that as well - while it restrains evil, trying to live up to its standards by yourself can be a fatal thing, much like chlorine gas.  So, there you have it - a substance that can actually erode flesh, like pure sodium, and a gas that can suffocate a person, like chlorine gas, can be deadly by themselves and are not fit for human consumption in their pure states.  But, when a reaction causes them to combine, they produce a substance (sodium chloride, or table salt) that is essential to the human body and its functions.  Likewise, something needs to reconcile the Law and our fallen nature, as they cannot be reconciled on their own, and that is why a third element is needed, and that element is supernatural grace, only given through the Person of Christ and His atonement.  This is where we are going.

The Incarnation reconciled two things - it perfected human nature and reconciled the Law, and it did so through the impartation of supernatural grace.  Christ is the personification of supernatural grace, and He is also the product of reconciliation between divine law and human nature.  When we receive Christ as Savior both by confession and via the sacramental life of the Church, He becomes part of us, and we then also become a "salt" that shares that grace through evangelization to others.  This is why Dr. Marshall actually is right in admonishing us to "stay salty," and now we will examine briefly the benefits of that "saltiness."

Salt has a number of beneficial uses, and here are a few of them:

1. Preservation - salt prevents decay and spoilage, and food treated with it lasts much longer.

2. Cleansing - Salt is the original disinfectant, as it is used to clean everything from contact lenses (which would be called saline solution) to even use in dishwashing processes - the granular action of salt makes it naturally abrasive, and the chlorine component actually sterilizes.

3. Healing - Salt has therapeutic qualities that are related to both its preservation and cleansing.  To "rub salt in a wound" is an aphorism that is based on this principle.  Salt will heal a wound naturally, which is why many people soak parts of their body in salt water to disinfect and cleanse cuts, blisters, and other such things and it also comes in handy for gargling in case of upper respiratory infections.

4. Flavor - Salt is used as a seasoning to add and/or enhance the flavor of something.  In many cases, salt brings out a flavor that would not otherwise be detected, and thus it aids in the culinary process of the human anatomy.  Due to its alkaline properties, salt also makes highly acidic food, such as grapefruit, more palatable too.

5. Hydration - related to healing properties, salt is integral to maintaining water content in our bodies, as its thirst-generating aspect encourages more liquid consumption.  This is why people suffering heat stroke will often drink something containing salt-based electrolytes, such as commercial drinks like Gatorade, or (and this one is personally nauseating to me, but it works) the drinking of pickle juice (yecccchhhh!!  Give me Gatorade any day!).  It aids in rehydration of the body when fluids are at a critical level.

There are other uses for salt too, but as you can see, salt is beneficial in many cases.  So, why are we allegorically admonished by Our Lord Himself to be "salt?"  It is simple.  For one, when society is in a state of moral decay, it needs something to salvage what it can of it and preserve it - our "saltiness" does that.  Also, the wounds of societal decay need cleansing and healing, and that is where we also come in as a "salt" allegory.  Finally, in an utterly depraved and tasteless world where moral and civil decline make public discourse unpalatable, it is up to us to add the flavor of the Gospel to make it more tolerable to exist in.   And, as salt is not always pleasant - it really stings when applied to a wound, and it can also be hard to swallow if you gargle with it - neither is our presence at times.  When we deal with a volatile culture at times, we have to sting a little and maybe even our message may be hard for many to swallow, but it is the medicine our fallen world needs.  And, we cannot back away from administering it either.  As Dr. Kennedy said in the message of his I listened to earlier today, God did not call us to be "sugar to the world," as sugar can mess up a system more than it helps it, and although it tastes better, in the long run over-consumption of it causes health problems;  diabetes, tooth decay, obesity, and other ailments. Also, we are not called to be vinegar, meaning we are too dogmatic to the extreme of risking being spit out due to the nastiness and bad will created.  Sugar tastes good, and in the moral and spiritual sense, it always sounds good, but in the end it has little benefit if it is consumed heavily.  Likewise, vinegar is stinky, nasty, and also putrid - it represents in the spiritual sense the forms of excessive legalism and judgementalism some Christians engage in, and it accomplishes little either.  Over-consumption of both vinegar or sugar often has the same result - it will upset the stomach and induce vomiting.  Salt, on the other hand, tempers the appetite and provides both balance and enhancement.  And, that is who Christ is - the perfect balance, as well as the enhancement of life.  Christ is the source of supernatural grace, which as Aquinas defines it is given to perfect, heal, and elevate us in our nature, bringing us closer to what God originally created us to be.  Salt both is palatable but it also can sting - try, for instance, eating a salty Utz potato chip when you have a sore tongue or mouth, and you will feel it!  But, the sting in this case is good - it means healing is taking place and wounds are also being cleansed.  That is what the Gospel does; it seasons us.  As living conduits of the Gospel in our lives, we also should provide both flavor and cleansing to our world, and sometimes it can sting those around us as it penetrates the wounds of our society.  We should see that as a good thing, as it testifies to the effectiveness of the message. 

A lot more can be said on this subject, but simply, we must be more "salty" than "sweet" in our approach to this world.  We also must be more "salty" than "sour" too.  Therefore, as many of us hear at the end of Mass, we are to go out to provide antiseptic and flavor to a sick world that desperately needs it.  And, the times we live in, this is more real than ever.  God bless until next time.  

Catching Up

 It has been a while since writing, and there is good reason for it that I will discuss momentarily.  Although not the level of 2020, this year so far has been interesting - we have a bunch of godless Democrats running the government now, and we also have weird things going on in our churches that almost looks prophetic (in the case of our Catholic Church, we are being warned by godly leaders such as Archbishop Vigano about this, but that is a theological issue).  But, it is also been fairly stable for me financially this year so far, and I hope to keep it that way.  But, many factors - sans COVID-19, which has relatively little to do with my personal affairs honestly - have precluded me from writing a lot, so I wanted to just talk a bit about those things.  Without further elaboration, let us get into that now.

The first factor that has been contributing to a more busy life is my schooling - I am about to wrap up my second semester in my Ph.D. program and it tends to be intense.  While many of the classes are interesting, I also have the challenge of having some professors who honestly seem to confuse an 8-week class with a doctoral dissertation.  One of those in my Atlantic World course I am finishing up in a couple of weeks is a young lady who facilitates the course - she is a nice lady as a person, but she is a bit over-ambitious as an instructor, which leads me to believe this may be one of the first courses she has taught.  It is my hope that in due course of time her teaching methods will settle and mature, and she can make the class flow with a more reasonable level of work.  Doctoral-level courses are a bit more intensive honestly than either Master's or undergraduate-level, and they require a lot of reading, a lot of writing, and a lot of time.  So, therefore, that would explain why I haven't done as much blogging in recent months.  This will be more intense next academic year, as the second phase of my program - the reading comprehension courses - will take up even more time.  At the rate my doctoral program is going, if I maintain my good GPA (which at present is 3.73) I will complete the program by the end of December 2023.  At that point, it also will mean that I will be finished with school for good, as I will be 54 then and it will be time to move on.  Therefore, expect to see less blog activity for a while.

I am also in the process of reconfiguring my blogwork and maybe consolidating all three of my blogs into one, as at times some of the material does overlap.  Also, given that Blogspot is a product of Google, which is increasingly hostile to the views of people like myself, I may have no choice in the near future but to consider an alternative venue for writing.  This is still in development, and there is much to plan and think about concerning that, so updates will happen as needed on that. 

The second factor that has been occupying much of my time is of an even more serious nature.  I mentioned at the end of last year that as of June 24, 2020, Barbara and I have decided to separate and end our marriage.  The factors entailed in that are complex and are not things that need to be discussed here, but our parting has been amicable and we are still close friends.  We filed the final divorce papers on April 22 of this year, and we are now awaiting the final judgment and/or hearing.  This alone has more or less compelled me to reorder my life, as I am more or less getting back to where I was before I was married.  There have been adjustments, but they have been met and both Barbara's and my outlook is generally good, as this ultimately was the best decision.  For those reading this who are my friends, please do not bear any ill-will toward Barbara - she and I are in a good place now, and I only pray and wish the best for her as she begins a new life as well.  Also, this is not something I have widely talked about, so at this point I would ask that the readers would refrain from any speculation or gossip about it - for one thing, it is our business and no one else's, and also it protects Barbara's privacy as well in all of this.  Thank you for your understanding, and as we step into this new chapter of life, I ask for your prayers for both Barbara and myself, as we are at peace with the decision yet will face challenges with the adjustments it brings.  

That pretty much wraps up what I wanted to talk about today, and as I am able I will be back with more good insights in the near future.  God be with and bless all who read this.