• VIEWFINDER: Echoes of an Ancient Arch

• WAYPOINTS: Why I Protested

• EARTHOLOGY: Hot and Hotter

Emperor Constantine of the ancient Roman Empire transformed Christianity in many ways. A convert himself, after a great military victory in 313 CE, he declared the faith as legal and acceptable in the Roman Empire. He convened and presided over the Council of Nicea which defined the divinity of Jesus in Greco-Roman philosophical terms. He built Constantinople (now Istanbul) which would be the seat of Eastern Orthodoxy for hundreds of years. These three actions reshaped the Christian faith and Western society from 325 CE to the present.

The grand monument in Rome stands in dramatic testimony of an Empire long gone and a faith still struggling to survive in a changing world.

Jan and I walked around the great Arch of Constantine as we toured Rome. The huge monument, more than 17 centuries old, is covered in more magnificent frescos and relief sculptures than the eye can take in. The builders took pieces from other monuments and crafted them to make a new, larger one dedicated to the leader who won a devastating civil war. Interestingly, they used the sculpted bodies of other famous mean and just put on the head of the new Emperor! Constantine’s 31-year reign brought many reforms to the Empire that opened new opportunities and growth.  

A striking feature is the fence that surrounds the great Arch. This keeps the monument from deterioration, of course, but stands in contrast to history. For centuries the ancient road of victory ran through the Arch, bringing throngs by the thousands walking underneath the towering monument.

Could that be a metaphor for Christianity in the Western world today? Outmoded concepts, protective institutions, parochial infighting, dearth of vision—these have been isolated the church behind walls as humankind seeks other highways of progress. Humankind is marching away from a faith that struggles to adapt. Honestly, Constantine planted the seeds of much of this struggle with his uniting of Christianity with the Empire. The revolutionary message of a Kingdom “not of this world” preached by the Galilean rabbi disappeared in the state-sponsored institution.  

So, let’s leave the ancient Arch in its place to seek a new path of progressive faith where God’s power of Love, not the worship of Power in the State, is at work. Our voices against Nationalism can make a difference.

I welcome your comments by email or on the TRACKERS Community Page! Learn what you can do to bring freedom of religion at the CACN website.

I stood with hundreds of Lubbock protesters on No Kings Day. Jan joined me to be a part of 10 million Americans who did the same in hundreds of locations, perhaps the largest mass public demonstration in American history. We held our signs, joined the chants, listened to speakers, and let the community know all is not right in America today. The issues are more than policy differences between Democrats and Republicans; the differences are between right and wrong in the US Constitution! No wonder this regime has lost 79 of 85 lawsuits so far.

Why were we there? Because the Trump Administration:

· Has created an atmosphere of distrust, polarization, and confusion in Americans and among the nations that is diminishing national power in the global society;

· Has violated the 1^st Amendment freedom of speech by ordering the silencing of teachers, protesters, elected officials and citizens who criticize the regime or live alternative lifestyles;

· Has restricted the 1^st Amendment freedom of the press with legal and social attacks;

· Has attacked the 1^st Amendment with military force the right to peaceably assemble;

· Has violated the 4^th Amendment right for thousands of citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures;

· Has violated the 5^th amendment by denying tens of thousands of legal immigrants or asylum seekers the right to due process and illegally deporting them on false charges;

· Has violated the 8^th Amendment by inflicting cruel and unusual punishment through deportations to foreign countries, denying counsel, separating innocent children from parents;

· Has violated the Article I, Section 9 (the Foreign Emoluments Section) of the Constitution by receiving millions of dollars of gifts from foreign countries in exchange for influencing policy and personal gain;

· Has violated Article II of the Constitution by directing the Department of Justice to investigate persons for his personal or corrupt purposes;

· Has broken the Privacy Act of 1974 by allowing access to protected personal information by unqualified DOGE agents;

· Has violated the War Powers Act by committing acts of war without Congressional approval;

· Has approved the dismantling of essential federal government services that protect health and welfare of millions of Americans;

· Has demonstrated delusional, paranoid, and erratic behavior in the conduct of financial, military, and diplomatic business.

I was proud to raise my voice against this autocratic and irresponsible regime. I encourage you to do the same by contacting your Congressional representatives. Read more of what must be done at www.indivisible.org.

The year of our Lord 2025 is on pace to be another record-setting year for global warming. Higher temperatures world-wide are having disastrous results for millions of people and entire species on land and in the sea. The global climate crisis is a threat to well-being everywhere.

In 2015 over 200 nations agreed to set the goal of keeping the global average temperature from increasing more than 1.5’ Celsius (from a preindustrial-age baseline). Achieving this  goal would minimize the ecological and human damage created by a warmer atmosphere. This was a challenge given the rising rate of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels, agriculture, and population growth. Decisive action was needed by citizens, governments, and corporations.

We are failing.

For the first time, the annual global temperature of 2024 exceeded the goal. Even more ominous is the trendline. The past 10 years have brought 10 consecutive record setting years![1] Human-caused warming has produced a change in the climate that is affecting every creature on the planet.

United Nations Secretary-General Celest Saulo said, “It is essential to recognize that every fraction of a degree of warming matters. Whether it is at a level below or above 1.5°C of warming, every additional increment of global warming increases the impacts on our lives, economies and our planet.”

The outlook has worsened with the Trump regime attack on essential programs. He withdrew the US from the Paris Accords. Vital regulations to restrict power plant emissions, crucial research efforts by scientists, and repeal of electric vehicle tax credits are all on the cutting block of the proposed budget.[2]

It is vital that each of us take stock of what can be done. To Reduce, Repurpose, and Recycle are vital steps. We must pressure every official and every corporation to change operations. Without this, the children of today will live in a world that is less healthy, less beautiful, and less prosperous.

Texas Tech University Professor Dr. Katherine Hayhoe shares, “The research I do is clear: it is not too late to avoid the most serious and dangerous impacts. Our choice will determine what happens. The future we collectively face will be forged by our own actions. Climate change stands between us and a breathtaking, exhilarating future. We cannot afford to be paralyzed by fear or shame. We must act with power, love, and sound mind. Together, we can save ourselves.”[3]

Learn more by watching this video report of the State of the Global Climate.

 [1] World Meteorological Organization, January 10, 2025 Press Release. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-confirms-2024-warmest-year-record-about-155degc-above-pre-industrial-level#

[2] “Climate in Crisis.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/climate-in-crisis

[3] Katherine Hayhoe, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. One Signal Publishers, 2021. P 245.

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