Once two women were quarreling, and I am afraid that their quarrel was loud enough to be heard by others at the restaurant where they were having lunch. As it happens, there was a wise woman who attended the same church they did who happened to overhear. Deciding that since they had made the affair …
History and the Guild
Objectivity is a false god, and the worship of this idol is particularly pernicious in disciplines like journalism and history. It is not possible to be objective — although of course it is possible to be honest. By pretending to attain to objectivity, a writer’s fundamental faith commitments are not eliminated, but rather submerged — …
Grand Kleegle Archbishop
Chesterton, my favorite papist, once remarked that a man who does not stand for something will fall for anything. Evidence that this is true (as if more evidence were needed) can be found here. Turns out that radical priests and priestettes in the Episcopal church have not been content to be trendy leftists, but have …
Bush as False Teacher
After my post yesterday on the Bush/Kerry thing, here are just a couple of follow-up comments. The first is to note Bush’s qualified support for same-sex civil unions. He now says that such a decision should be up to the states. But anyone who does not see this as a wedge issue is just kidding …
Back Off Man
Dear visionaries, Susannah writes: “But I suspect that ‘attitude’ doesn’t restrict itself only to public school teachers . . . and I am certain it extends itself to many in the religious vocation. As in “back off, man, I’m god’s spokesman”.” The problem with professional educators in the government schools is not that they speak …
Bush and Kerry
So I hear there is an election in a few days. If you all can bear with some amateur punditry, I think that Bush is going to take it, walking away. Such a result would be satisfactory in some respects, but extremely threatening in others. I am not going to vote for the president, and, …
Evangelism, Liturgy, and Culture War
What is evangelism? Evangelism is the process, designed by God, in which the old humanity in Adam is supplanted by the new humanity in Christ. This does not conflict with our more familiar (and narrow) definition of of evangelism, but it most certainly goes far beyond it. “For the promise, that he should be the …
Forensic Electrical Theory
Once there was a little toddler who had just learned to turn on the lights. He was very pleased whenever he had an opportunity to do so, and so his parents took to asking him to perform this valuable service whenever possible. One evening, this family had a bachelor over to dinner, and as it …
Backs to the Future
In order to look back at the past, we have to (metaphorically) turn our backs on the future. This means, among other things, that the future can sneak up on us. Our study of history can mean that we give way to an optical illusion — we think we are standing on a fixed promontory, …
Contentment at the Foundation
GRACE & PEACE “At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16 11) Growing Dominion, Part 21 A spirit of gratitude and contentment resists all the worldview problems that rush in whenever we are ungrateful and discontent. We are been discussing this in the realm of health care (which makes it close and …