“Now is it more just and safe that the strong should condecend to the weak, because that is within their reach, than that the weak should be driven up to the strong, which were to overdrive them” (Durham, p. 35).
And This From An Industry That Specializes in Brazen Hypocrisies
“Low-cast Hindus, in short, suffered humiliations in their native India compared to which the carrying of identity cards in South Africa was almost trivial. In fact, Gandhi, to his credit, was to campaign strenuously in his later life for the reduction of caste barriers in India—a campaign almost invisible in the movie, of course, conveyed …
Secession As Obedience
As the evening of the Fourth of July approaches, I thought I would offer a few words that might salve the consciences of some sensitive Christians when it comes time to set off the fireworks tonight. And no, I am not here talking about the conscience issues raised by firing off what citizens have affectionately …
Against Clamorous Mouths
“Thus Paul rather hazards upon what might follow upon his refusing to take wages than to take them, because taking is of itself more apt to give offense than refusing, and does not look so single-like, and there is not so easy access to vindicate that against clamorous mouths” (Durham, p. 29).
Well, Not Exactly
“A result of all this is that New York’s purveyors of high cinema art have chosen to import from France, Germany, Italy, or wherever, a hand-picked selection of those countries’ intimate, unconventional, or intellectually ambitious movies. There is certainly nothing wrong with a nothing-but-the-best policy for that American elite within the elite which enjoys foreign …
King David On The Fourth of July
The Fourth of July is next week, and a number of us are going to set off fireworks — and, if the past is to be trusted, we will set off some really good ones. But what are we celebrating? One of the things my grandchildren have been put up to during the fireworks are …
We Don’t Have To Like It
“For there is a great difference between displeasing and offending, as also between pleasing and edifying. For one may be displeased, and yet edified; well satisfied, and yet offended” (James Durham, Concerning Scandal, p. 2).
And It Appears To Have Worked
“A deviant from a Leninist (and even Marxist) point of view, Gramsci formulated in his Prison Notebooks the doctrine that those who want to change society must change man’s consciousness, and that in order to accomplish this they must first control the institutions by which that consciousness is formed: schools, universities, churches, and, perhaps above …
What’s Wrong With Civil Rights
“There is a vast difference between the way Christians and humanists define ‘civil rights.’ For a Christian rights tend to be negatively defined. For a humanist they are positively stated. For example, a Christian approach can be seen in such common law rights as the right to trial by jury or habeas corpus. A humanist …
The Politics of Sodomy
Let us begin by addressing the real sin of Sodom. But what could possibly be meant by “the real sin of Sodom?” Isn’t it obvious? The sin of homosexual behavior draws its name from Sodom. What could be more obvious? And given the corruption of the times, shouldn’t we be suspicious of any attempt to …