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J. E. Dyer
Columnist
J. E. Dyer is a retired US Naval intelligence officer who served around the world, afloat and ashore, from 1983 to 2004. Her last operations in the Navy were Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in 2003, and she retired at the rank of Commander. She lives now in the "Inland Empire" of southern California, where she writes for various blogs and is preparing a book on the Cold War.
I enjoy the world of political blogging, and the exchange of ideas with thoughtful posters from all backgrounds. I hope you will feel at home here, if those words describe you. I anticipate making entries both short and long (so don't be alarmed by the long ones). I am a big fan of civility, and require that guests be as well.
Works by J. E. Dyer
J. E. Dyer | January 02, 2013
2013 dawns on an America much changed....
J. E. Dyer | December 23, 2012
What an incredible beginning it was, 2,000-odd years ago....
Government at the End of an Age
J. E. Dyer | December 16, 2012
Government is a lousy substitute for God....
J. E. Dyer | December 09, 2012
Resentment is a terrible habit that we must reject....
J. E. Dyer | December 02, 2012
Is criticism of each other our most useful focus today?...
God: Satisfying Our Desires with Good Things
J. E. Dyer | November 18, 2012
In a troubled world, there is much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving....
Post-Election 2012: How Shall We then Live?
J. E. Dyer | November 11, 2012
I'm betting on God to do for us what government can't or won't....
Why I Will Be Voting for Romney on November 6
J. E. Dyer | November 04, 2012
A Romney presidency would give us time to decide what we want America to be....
The Evangelical Tradition and the 2012 Election
J. E. Dyer | October 28, 2012
The question this year is what our government -- and America -- will be....
The Role and Scope of Government: Property and...
J. E. Dyer | October 21, 2012
Our political factions today see the relation between man and the state very......
The Role and Scope of Government: Property and...
J. E. Dyer | October 14, 2012
Our political factions today see the relation between man and the state very......
Slander and the "Cycle of Diss"
J. E. Dyer | September 30, 2012
The premise of revenge against disrespect is unrequitable. No amount of revenge and......
J. E. Dyer | September 16, 2012
If you hear God calling today, listen to Him....
J. E. Dyer | August 19, 2012
Learning that waiting won't kill us is powerful....
Accusations: The Voice of Malice
J. E. Dyer | August 12, 2012
Can we learn not to give our minds over to accusations about others?...
J. E. Dyer | August 05, 2012
What if we lived as if we will someday face the Day of Judgment described in the Bible?...
Chick-Fil-A Is neither Hateful, Intolerant, nor Anti-Gay
J. E. Dyer | July 29, 2012
There is no peace, for Christians or anyone else, if there is not freedom of conscience....
J. E. Dyer | July 22, 2012
A battle is raging over the morality of using unmanned aerial vehicles to fight our......
J. E. Dyer | July 08, 2012
The attitude of America's founders might surprise us today....
How Should Christians Regard the Obamacare Ruling?
J. E. Dyer | July 01, 2012
Does God mean it for good?...
The Church of Low Expectations
J. E. Dyer | June 17, 2012
What is the antidote to a juvenilized Christianity?...
J. E. Dyer | June 11, 2012
Politics and government will remain unsatisfactory until we stop prioritizing them over......
Does God Want America to Fail?
J. E. Dyer | June 04, 2012
Absolutely not -- in fact, he doesn't want any people to fail...
In Praise of a Proper Partisanship
J. E. Dyer | May 28, 2012
Disagreement and partisanship are not bugs in the human condition; they're features....
Chen Guangcheng and the Secrets God Knows
J. E. Dyer | May 20, 2012
God, who made us and loves us, knows much more than we can bear to know....
Young Adults on Social Issues: Headed for a Shift?
J. E. Dyer | May 13, 2012
We can expect today's young adults to change their opinions not only on social issues......
Friendly Persuasion: A Lesson from Ronald Reagan
J. E. Dyer | May 06, 2012
The 40th president won remarkable concessions from the Soviet Union with two very......
Grace Takes a Stand in Sanford, Florida
J. E. Dyer | April 29, 2012
In the wake of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, the Spirit of God is on the move in Sanford....
Five Lessons Life Has Taught Me
J. E. Dyer | April 22, 2012
Indignation is not a virtue, blaming others gets you nowhere, and you're never too small......
Turning the Trayvon Martin Case Over to the People
J. E. Dyer | April 16, 2012
Finally, the people have a prospect of speaking for themselves on the case. I believe......
Anti-Semitism at Easter: What Would Jesus Do?
J. E. Dyer | April 08, 2012
The resurrected Savior has the answer. Think healing and power....
In Trayvon Martin Case, America Is Better Than Its Media
J. E. Dyer | April 01, 2012
Truth and justice don't divide us. They unite us....
Forgiveness in a Cultural War of All Against All
J. E. Dyer | March 25, 2012
When there's a War on Everyone, it's time to deploy the "big guns" of forgiveness....
Helping the Poor, Part 2: Ronald J. Sider's Fixing the...
J. E. Dyer | March 18, 2012
We need to help the poor. But is focusing on income disparities an effective way to do......
One Weird Trick to Help the Poor
J. E. Dyer | March 11, 2012
True help for the poor recognizes that they are people, not income-levels in a......
The Fate of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani -- and of Iran
J. E. Dyer | March 04, 2012
Conscience, not ideology, will make the ultimate decision on Nadarkhani's fate. I am......
Stewardship and State Coercion
J. E. Dyer | February 27, 2012
How does God see state policies that seek to shut down economic activity?...
Elevating Progressive Goals over Religious Freedoms
J. E. Dyer | February 13, 2012
The more things we want government to control, the less space remains for religious......
J. E. Dyer | February 06, 2012
Politics and government are important. But the greatest, most important things in God's......
J. E. Dyer | January 30, 2012
What bothers some people about Bain Capital is a problem with government, not business....
J. E. Dyer | January 16, 2012
Football always has something to teach us about life and faith....
The "Rule of Three" For Confronting Evil
J. E. Dyer | January 09, 2012
Our spiritual preparations for an unsettling year should include deciding how we will......
J. E. Dyer | December 26, 2011
To a world in chaos, God's message in Christ is just that simple....
Tim Tebow, Ronald Reagan, and the Power of Positive...
J. E. Dyer | December 19, 2011
Strength comes from writing our own positive message rather than reacting to grievances......
J. E. Dyer | December 12, 2011
God doesn't want us worried and upset. Really....
J. E. Dyer | December 05, 2011
Christmas is a time to reflect on why Jesus came in darkness, and what his light is for....
Hope and Thanksgiving for a Mother in Jail
J. E. Dyer | November 21, 2011
In a season of thanksgiving, a Maryland mother needs our prayers for God's perfect......
The Penn State Abuse Scandal and the Care of a Father
J. E. Dyer | November 14, 2011
Penn State officials must be dealt with according to law, but their institution cannot......
The Cain Kerfuffle and the Bible's Simple Lessons
J. E. Dyer | November 07, 2011
For a broken American political process, we need God's reminders of what really matters....
The Morality of Income Inequality
J. E. Dyer | October 30, 2011
Worrying about income inequality involves us in things the Bible frowns on. But......
In Troubled Times, Choose Life
J. E. Dyer | October 21, 2011
America's declining standard of living requires mercy, not sacrifice. Do we know God as......
J. E. Dyer | October 16, 2011
Jesus actually operated through invitation and respect for authority....
The Cost of Holding Thought at Risk
J. E. Dyer | October 02, 2011
The case of the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School should reopen old......
Criminalizing Christianity, in Iran and the West
J. E. Dyer | October 02, 2011
We rightly condemn the persecution of Christianity in Iran -- so why do we react with......
J. E. Dyer | September 25, 2011
"How we should then live" is an essential question no longer acknowledged by our......
Heroic Warriors, Heroic Citizens
J. E. Dyer | September 18, 2011
In a time of need, God raises up heroes. He also raises up citizens with wisdom and......
Are the Bones of American Society Broken?
J. E. Dyer | September 11, 2011
As we remember 9/11, we should remember not only our challenges and our struggles but......
The Dangerous Erosion of Authority
J. E. Dyer | September 04, 2011
It's time for a serious conversation about the causes and consequences of the erosion of......
Pedophilia and the Limitations of Science and Law
J. E. Dyer | August 28, 2011
Only the grace of God can correct pedophiles without condemning them....
J. E. Dyer | August 21, 2011
If "the clustering of like-minded America is tearing us apart," will compromise bring us......
The Silence Before the Restoration
J. E. Dyer | August 14, 2011
Economic recession has brought silence and stillness to devastated communities. But......
Limited Government, Unlimited God
J. E. Dyer | August 07, 2011
Some basic habits of mind make us resistant to the implications of limited government.......
J. E. Dyer | July 31, 2011
Our success in dealing with America's fiscal problems will depend on faithfulness in the......
The State v. Religious Freedom
J. E. Dyer | July 24, 2011
Same-sex lawsuits against religious objections are bringing serious issues to a head for......
The Nihilism of "Falling Skies"
J. E. Dyer | July 17, 2011
Shouldn't we care whether humans are exterminated?...
The Inhumanity of Government Experiments
J. E. Dyer | July 10, 2011
Operation Fast & Furious shows how tolerant we've become of abstract experiments in......
A Father's Fiery Rage Against the Cold Machine
J. E. Dyer | July 03, 2011
The family law system performed exactly as intended—and a despairing father set......
The Creeping Advance of Anti-Semitism
J. E. Dyer | June 26, 2011
Americans are right to be concerned about the indications of anti-Semitism in two recent......
The Father Who Stands in the Gap
J. E. Dyer | June 19, 2011
When there is a threat to their children and their people's future, good fathers act in......
Is the West's Problem Christian Guilt?
J. E. Dyer | June 12, 2011
Christianity is not designed to be a guilt culture. It is designed to be a redemption......
J. E. Dyer | June 05, 2011
The world given to us by the boys of Pointe du Hoc is beginning to crumble. But the......
The Black-Robe Regiment: Honoring Chaplains on Memorial...
J. E. Dyer | May 29, 2011
A remembrance of the chaplains who have served America's fighting men and women -- and......
J. E. Dyer | May 22, 2011
A recent episode of Law and Order illustrates the insidious way in which evil undermines......
Yes, Christians Can Vote for Mormons
J. E. Dyer | May 18, 2011
What I want to hear from political candidates is that they favor government that is......
Social Conservatism and the Quality of Mercy
J. E. Dyer | May 10, 2011
Focusing our main effort on law and regulation cedes to human government a centrality in......
Don't Be Satisfied with Tolerance
J. E. Dyer | May 01, 2011
Tolerance is a result and not a cause of character -- and tolerance is not enough....
J. E. Dyer | April 24, 2011
Human trials don't stop for Easter -- but that was never the purpose of Jesus'......
J. E. Dyer | April 17, 2011
The burqa question in Europe highlights the limitations of law, and reminds us that the......
J. E. Dyer | April 10, 2011
It can reasonably be argued that Jesus would not point to the results of five decades of......
Goodbye to an Ideological Century
J. E. Dyer | April 03, 2011
The new century is challenging the deepest ideological certainties of the old....
Seeking Revival in the Face of Global Decline
J. E. Dyer | March 27, 2011
Should we face the world's growing problems with resignation, or should we ask for big......
Character First: On the Source of National Greatness
J. E. Dyer | March 21, 2011
The character of a people makes the character of the nation, and in concentrating on......
J. E. Dyer | March 14, 2011
Americans, conservatives and liberal, Christian and otherwise, expend great amounts of......
On Disputing Disputable Matters
J. E. Dyer | March 07, 2011
God didn't give us an answer sheet for political disputes. He gave us first principles......
J. E. Dyer | February 28, 2011
A new book claims the rise of women has turned men into boys. Where will the road to......
J. E. Dyer | February 21, 2011
The Golden Rule is not about reciprocity. It is about following God's example in giving......
J. E. Dyer | February 11, 2011
The most important thing about Egypt in 2011 may just be that it is full of Christians......
J. E. Dyer | February 07, 2011
In the midst of political and global turmoil, it is good to remember why we were made:......
J. E. Dyer | January 31, 2011
Barack Obama is the quintessential product of modern Western culture: credentialed,......
J. E. Dyer | January 24, 2011
The West's Mama Grizzly has a sense of herself as a serious, transcendent actor,......
J. E. Dyer | January 17, 2011
Christians should be concerned that we are -- unwisely and unethically -- regulating our......
Five Reasons for Optimism in 2011
J. E. Dyer | January 10, 2011
2011 dawns with a sense of foreboding, and not without reason. Yet there are also......
We're Becoming a Bunch of Babies
J. E. Dyer | January 05, 2011
The FCC's "net neutrality" regulations will bring even more government interference—and......
A Civilization with a Heart of Stone
J. E. Dyer | December 20, 2010
The more we divide up the crowd by political categories, the more we lose touch with......
J. E. Dyer | December 13, 2010
The birth of Christ came in a time of turmoil and war -- yet God's purposes are not......
Patriotism, Hope, and the Portland Bomber
J. E. Dyer | December 06, 2010
The FBI took interest in Osman Mohamud. But where was the culture around him cultivating......
J. E. Dyer | November 29, 2010
A fundamental issue in the TSA controversy is whether our posture should be offensive or......
J. E. Dyer | November 22, 2010
Lamenting "income inequality" is powerful rhetoric -- but poor theology....
What "Telling" Will Mean in the Military
J. E. Dyer | November 15, 2010
Repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy will lead to three difficult moral and......
For America and the Cowboys, a Time to Rebuild
J. E. Dyer | November 10, 2010
When it's time for a country -- or a football team -- to rebuild, we should not look to......
J. E. Dyer | November 03, 2010
Americans are at the beginning of an awakening that may well put us back on our unique......
J. E. Dyer | October 27, 2010
We have every reason to be hopeful that America's moral life can be revived. God changes......
The Law Is Not a Tool of Transformation
J. E. Dyer | October 19, 2010
The Optimistic Christian -- Believers should have a different perspective on the purpose......
Why I Am "The Optimistic Christian"
J. E. Dyer | October 12, 2010
In perilous times, it is worth remembering that God has given us abundant reason for a......
J. E. Dyer | October 05, 2010
Pew's "Religious Knowledge Survey" does not show that evangelicals are uninformed. It......
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