There is a certain kind of dogmatic personality that is incapable of admitting error. Most all of us have an acquaintance or relative or two that fits the category. Everything is spun, everything is fashioned, everything turns out in such a way as to confirm what he was saying all along. In biblical terms, the …
Catholicity or Mush?
All Christians are called to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But before we charge off to do this, we need to distinguish between catholicity and mush. A catholic or ecumenical spirit is not an optional add-on extra. But there is a vast difference between Christians who love each other …
Against Philosophy
As I have been pursuing this little postmodern jag of mine, reading folks I wouldn’t ordinarily read, I have been struck with how much postmodernists share in common with the modernity they think they are rejecting. Shared assumptions leap off the page, invisible both to them and their modernist targets. Here are some obvious shared …
The Shroud of Turin: Toward a Mystery Solved
To come right to the point, I believe that my son, Nathan Wilson, has figured out how the Shroud of Turin was originally made, and he has duplicated the feat on the roof of the New St. Andrews building (although, we confess, the building is not currently zoned for Shroud duplications). He figured it out …
Relativism Rules!
Dear visionaries, Ted’s correction is accepted, and his caveat noted. Our elected officials could be replaced if we wanted to do it. But we don’t — which is why I wanted to say we have met the enemy and he is us. We don’t want the Constitution to be read right side up anymore than …
Caesar and War
Dear visionaries, I too hope for a smooth ride in Iraq. But there is a difference between Congress declaring war and Congress abdicating its assigned responsibilities. Congress could issue a statement that the federal budget could originate this year in the Supreme Court. Doesn’t make it right. The Constitution doesn’t say that Congress declares war …
Postmodernism Is, As Derrida Might Say, Le Dead
I am continuing to slog my way through McLaren and Raschke, left hand raised high so I won’t get any on my watch. And I have come to the settled conclusion that postmodernism is dead. Why do I think this? What is the evidence? The proof is conclusive — we can tell that postmodernism is …
Deconstructing the Constitution
Dear visionaries, Here is the problem. The oath taken by those who serve in the military involves defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, whether foreign or domestic. We are certainly going to war in Iraq, and we are doing so in order to accomplish “regime change.” This is a traditional war, …
Licorice Altoids
A reader from a far place pointed out my very own howler. I take the liberty of quoting him at length. Mr. Wilson, While I am no fan of Mr. Gier, his scholarship, or his writings I feel obliged to defend him on one point. In a recent entry in your blog, you compared his …
Howlers
In a revision of an earlier indiscretion in print, Nick Gier continues to dub us the “Moscow Taliban.” This device of calling conservative Presbyterians Talibanesque was (in Gier World) quite a witticism, and one which Gier felt obliged to give credit for, and so he acknowledged Mark Potok, from the world’s richest civil rights organization. …