“There is no arena in society in which the elite are able to acknowledge themselves unfit to govern” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 202).
Just a Hop and a Jump
“The distance between social democracy and totalitarianism is very short, largely because the latter is implied in the former” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 201).
The Biggest Reef in the World
“Self-delusion about human nature is the reef waiting to make a wreck out of ideologies that wander out of a narrow channel” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 190).
Although It Isn’t
“It once was considered immoral to take a person’s property for the benefit of others by threatening the use of force, but now inequality is advanced as a greater evil than theft” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 181).
William Wilberfarce
I turned on the news this morning only to see Jeremiah Wright giving a talk at the National Press Club, followed by a particularly fruity question and answer session. There is no question but that Wright is bright, quick on his feet, well-read, smarter than almost all his questioners, funny, capable of handling himself in …
Compassion Radar in the Private Sector
One other comment is necessary on my interaction with Jim Wallis a few posts ago. He said that the abortion debate had grown “stale,” and that we ought to concentrate on reducing abortions instead of outlawing abortion. As I was thinking about it, this question occurred to me — “where has he been?” He speaks …
The Pope and Climate Change
Careful readers of this blog will recall that I had a little fun at the Vatican’s expense some time ago on the issue of global warming. In the article I linked to at that time, it mentioned that the pope was going to use his speech at the UN (just now past) to press for …
A Brick Through the Windshield
Ted Olsen at CT asks Jim Wallis some pointed questions. HT: Justin Taylor And I am afraid I have to make a few comments about his pathetic answers. When Olsen asked him about his stance on abortion — “protecting unborn life in every possible way, but without criminalizing abortion,” Wallis responded by saying that the …
Institutionalized Strife
“The alternative to free economic activity is not cooperation but coercion . . . Redistribution is absolutely incompatible with peace. Accepted as a norm for civil life, it means that social strife is inevitable” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 134).
Penalties for Do-Goodery
I take it as a given that Christians are called to be a force for good and for decency in the world, and that this good and this decency are best exhibited face-to-face with people you know and live with. The debates that arise when I write about what I am going to write about …