“Modern statism is the soured remnant of the Enlightenment idea of inevitable progress. This miserable wreckage, which once heralded joyfully the coming of the secular version of the kingdom of God, now hoarsely wheezes that if we worship it we shall receive salvation from extinction. The danger is not to be taken lightly. Woebegone as …
Because the Fearful Have a Choke-Chain On
“The entire ‘exhaustion-of-resources’ syndrome is one huge apology for totalitarian control over the citizens” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 224).
Depends on What You’re Conserving
“Conservatives of practically all types, like Wills and Will, fall all over each other exalting the prerogatives of the idol state. That is why when they take power from avowed social democratic parties—as in Sweden, Britain and the United States—there are no fundamental changes. They go with the tide; an electorate that demands the property …
The Real Problem
“In other words, bureaucrats shuffle not papers, but people” (Herbert Schlossberg, Idols for Destruction, p. 205).
The Bulldozers of God
This morning while preaching an Ascension sermon from Philippian 3:20-21, I went on a brief detour to speak about the various ways in which biblical writers relate to empire. This is relevant to us because the New Testament was given during the heyday of the Roman Empire, and we are seeking to live as Christians …
Secular Conservatives and Real Ones
I take it as a given that our standard right/left political dichotomy does not represent a Trinitarian approach to politics at all. I have argued this for quite a number of years now, with no appreciable sign that anything is getting through to anybody who is actually running the show. Nevertheless, let us keep on …
No Kidding
“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).