“Wherever and whenever the biblical tradition morally incapacitates a culture’s sacrificial system, the aggravating effects of mimetic desire flourish precisely because there is no reliable way to focus them on one flamboyant object of lust or loathing and eliminate them at his or her expense” (Gil Bailie, Violence Unveiled, p. 110).
This and That, That and This
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 101 “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife” (Prov. 17:1). The book of Proverbs loves comparisons—this is better than that. And it loves combinations of comparisons—this with that is better than …
Election Thoughts
For those readers in New Zealand, you can skip over this post. Our election is tomorrow and for those in Idaho, here is a good breakdown. The only places I really differ with Dale is on the gubernatorial race (where I will probably vote for the Libertarian candidate, or maybe Dave Barry), and on one …
Confessing Sin in Narnia
Learning how to say you were wrong about something, and that you are sorry, is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn in his life. It is basically a question of learning how to be genuinely honest. And as such an important lesson, it is not surprising that the Narnia stories are full …
Do Not Forget the Lord
Chapter eight of Deuteronomy (like chapter seven) is structured chiastically. But because of the richness of this material, we will take two sessions to cover the one chiasm. “All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land …
How Faith Knows
The festival of Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit has been poured out. But recall, carefully remember, that throughout the Scriptures, when God’s power comes down in the person of His Spirit, He is always poured out upon something. He comes to rest. In the visitation of God’s Spirit, we do not find the …
What His Work Tastes Like
You are the people of God, and this means that you have been saved, you are being saved, and you will be saved. The Scriptures teach us to believe that we have been saved definitively, and yet not to rest in some carnal fashion upon our laurels. We are also warned against that constant temptation …
Just Because a Group is in Formation Doesn’t Mean They Know Where They are Going
“Contemporary authors, playwrights and poets thus find themselves in a disconcerting dilemma. If they attempt to delineate an ideal, they are accused snobbery, of being anti-proletarian, illiberal, undemocratic and, in certain instances, racist. Accordingly, all but a dwindling minority have chosen to join the ‘Raskolnikovian’ ranks of iconoclasts, consoling themselves with the thought that they …
When Education is too Narrow
“But the danger is that their education can become little more than reading. When they come to take their SATs, they discover that their verbal scores are stratospheric, and their math scores give the impression that the test was taken by a rock that was having trouble holding the pencil” (The Case for Classical Christian …
With No Release Mechanism But War
“Not only can we no longer believe, with the Aztecs, that our victims are gods, but the belief that our victims are incarnate devils is one we can sustain only for as long as the social contagions that so designate them last. ‘As early as the next morning’ we begin the process of coming to …