“During the decade since 1989, militant Islamic efforts to silence those who critique Islam or Muslims have had impressive results . . . More impressive than these acts of terror, however, has been the way Islamists have changed the discussion of Islam around the world. In Muslim-majority countries, it has become virtually impossible to comment …
Holy, not Evil
“Sexuality is for the private intimacy of marriage, not for public eyes. Striptease shows are obscene, not because nudity is wrong but because nudity is private. To pay a woman to take her clothes off in front of crowds of ogling men is to violate her in a very brutal way. Public sex is obscene, …
Yo Mama Wants Obama
As Christians consider the implications of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the public square, they have to take great care to get outside the cafeteria mentality that currently afflicts us. Christian engagement with the world does not mean that “Christ is Lord” is a mantra that will help us decide whether to eat this …
Why Not Both?
“Thus we have a curious dichotomy in the modern literary scene. Whereas the popular culture gives us books that offer entertainment but no ideas, the ‘high culture’ gives us books that offer ideas but no entertainment. There are many books—in my opinion the best books—which manage to do both” (Gene Edward Veith, Reading Between the …
A Brief Foray into Canada
For those in the area who might be interested, I will be doing a conference next month (April 28) for Christ Covenant Church in Langley, British Columbia. The conference will be on The Church and Culture, and talks will include, “The Church as Shaper of Culture,” “Devil in a Blue Dress,” “Culture and Tradition,” and …
Imitation on the Sly
“In their effort to build a way of life based purely on the Shar’i laws, Islamists strain to reject all aspects of Western influence—customs, philosophy, political institutions and values. Despite these efforts, they absorb vast amounts from the West . . . Even Ayatollah Khomeini, who was more traditional than most Islamists, failed in his …
Just Plain Bad
“Some of the most popular books are starkly bad — bad in their content, bad in their effect, and, in a related way, bad aesthetically” (Gene Edward Veith, Reading Between the Lines, p. 27).
Globaloney Warming
Here is a nicely done bit on the global warming hoohah. HT: Joe Crawford
A Second Battle of Tours 6
Introduction: We have already considered one aspect of this issue, which is the question of law. The claim of the law reveals the god of the system, and reveals the nature of the god. If the god is an idol, then the law will be idolatrous. If the God is the triune God of Scripture, …
Secularism, Reformism, Fundamentalism
“Searching for answers to escape from this dilemma, Muslims have developed three major responses: secularism, reformism, and fundamentalism. Secularism holds that Muslims can only advance by emulating the West . . . Reformism, which offers a murky middle, is very popular. Whereas secularism forthrightly calls for learning from the West, reformism sneakily appropriates from it …