For the last 59 years, I have been a practicing Christian (liberally conservative and evangelical). Should any posting I make to any Stack Exchange website pique your curiosity as to the what and why of my beliefs, feel free to communicate with me at drlarter@yahoo.com. I do not claim to have all the answers--let alone all the questions(!), but I would consider it a privilege to discuss Christianity with you in a rational and civilized fashion.

My wife (a native Egyptian and Christian) and I have been married for 44 years. We have two grown children who have flown the coop, making us empty nesters.

I have a Master's degree in Speech Communications and a Ph.D. in Rhetorical Theory. After a brief stint as a teacher of public speaking, I embarked on a couple of different and totally divergent pursuits by owning and operating two small businesses.

Tired of being in business for myself, I went back to school at Duquesne University's Paralegal Institute in Pittsburgh, where I received a General Practice Certificate in December 2013. I have yet to find a job in the legal profession, so I guess you could say I’m semi-retired. I do test grading, however, for a national testing service, and I sell classical record albums (aka vinyl, LPs, disks, schallenplaten, discos) online, worldwide. At last count I ship records to about 65 countries.

A rhetorical perspective is almost as natural to me as breathing. I target overt and covert--as well as conscious and unconscious--attempts at persuasion for analysis, evaluation, and criticism. Of particular interest to the EL&U web site contributors would be, with some adaptations and modifications, the traditional canons of speech: style (elocutio), invention (inventio), organization (dispositio), recall (memoria), and delivery (pronuntiatio or actio).