Quite a discussion broke out over the questions surrounding taxation, theft and redistribution, and so I thought it would be good to set down some basic principles on the subject. This is to prevent the “guiding principle” from becoming a charge of theft for any tax I might find distasteful. 1. The point is not …
The Federal Government As Abusive Live-In Boyfriend in a Wifebeater
In an abusive relationship, the only thing that matters to the abuser is the present. And by the “present,” I mean the pressure that is being applied in the present, toward whatever ends the abuser currently desires. Greed and self-centered demand are completely oriented to the present. Out of the picture are promises and obligations …
Back Rubs Don’t Work With Heart Disease
The first thing to do is go here, and read through the post, particularly the transcript of the Q&A at the bottom. Tim Keller is at Covenant, and is asked a very good question about homosexuality. In the course of his answer, Keller says that there is no question about where Redeemer stands on the …
Boom and Bust in the Public Sector
We are accustomed to the notion that investors are subject to bouts of “irrational exuberance,” and that this is one of the contributing factors to the boom and bust cycles. When the good times are rolling, it is easy for those on the crest of the wave to assume that this can continue indefinitely. Not …
Those Hidden Bags of Carob Chips
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Food and Drink #10 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but …
Rick Warren as Curve Ball
In the minds of some, I was the bad boy at the Desiring God conference last year, and here I am asked about how John Piper decided to fill that slot this year. I thoroughly enjoyed Mitch Stokes biography of Isaac Newton in Thomas Nelson’s Christian Encounters series. An excerpt from that book is up …
The Brotherhood of Man Goes Phut
The other day, I was reminded, yet again, of the central heresy of our age. The president, in his Easter address, called upon all of us to remember our “shared spirit of humanity,” and he trotted out that tired “family of man” stuff. While he personally was remembering the resurrection of Jesus, others — Jews, …
Seven Basic and Brief Pointers for Writers
In no particular order of importance, I would encourage those who want to learn the wordriht life to approximate something like the following: 1. Know something about the world, and by this I mean the world outside of books. This might require joining the Marines, or working on an oil rig, or as a …
Not Exactly From Pacifist Stock
Peter Hitchens’ next chapter was profound and moving. Entitled “Britain’s Pseudo-Religion and the Cult of Winston Churchill,” he makes the brave move of identifying the carnage of the two great wars of the 20th century as a massive blood sacrifice to false gods. He does this on the basis of the meaning that was assigned …
That’s When
I have argued many times and in many ways that Christian postmoderns are posers. They are parasitic moderns, wanting the academic system to remain intact (so that their tenure will remain secure), wanting a John Stuart Mill secular state to remain intact (so that nobody has to confess Jesus in the public square), and so …