In a previous thread Jane Dunsworth asked the question when it comes to all questions of “reading culture.” How do you tell the difference between some manifestation of lowlife culture and that same thing (apparently) adopted and carried out by someone whose respectability is beyond question? Hmmm? The problem is the same regardless of how …
Free Markets and Free Grace
In Rodney Stark’s very fine book, The Victory of Reason, he notes a problem with using the word “capitalism” in discussions of economics. He says capitalism “is very difficult to define, having originated not as an economic concept but as a pejorative term first used by nineteenth century leftists to condemn wealth and privilege. Adapting …
Control Your Own Body, Aye
One of the most interesting aspects of the health care debate is watching people who have spent a good portion of their adult lives saying “A,” who then under the pressure of their own position’s internal illogic come out saying “not A.” We are now at that place. Mark Steyn has pointed out, quite aptly, …
Daughters and Grandsons
Apropos of nothing in particular, allow me just a few words about education and girls. In many ways, pastoral ministry is like playing that whack-a-mole game — one thing disappears under the mallet, and another one pops up. And it was probably one you thought you dealt with a few years before, and here is …
Unleashing Your Inner Fundamentalist
Suppose that John R. Rice, during his Sword of the Lord days, accidentally took a couple hits of acid, and prophesied wildly about what would happen down the road if women quit wearing their hair in a bun, and started wearing slacks like crazy. Suppose he got really out there, and promised us all that …
Audio Reading of Post
Like Jello on a Plate
C.S. Lewis once wrote a short story (I think it was called The Shoddy Lands), in which a female character reveals herself to be utterly uninterested in anything but (I think it was) jewelery. I bring this up because I recall reading a reference to that story by someone else who took it as clear …
That”s So Gay
So follow this link and watch the three television commercials that are there. (HT: Frank Golubski) Okay, all set? In the first place, I am almost tempted to give my whole-hearted endorsement to such an ad campaign just for the pleasure of hearing modern adults tell teenagers to “knock it off.” No qualifications, no poor …
Stewardship Schmoowardship
There are many things that are exasperating about the soi disant stewards of the environment, but the central exasperating thing about them lies right at the heart of their claim. This is especially true of Christians who tell us that Jesus requires us to be “stewards of the earth,” and that being green is a …
A Set of Secret Handshakes
My apologies to Lane, who gently nudged me into a response. I had for some reason missed his two earlier posts and was politely waiting around for him to get back to business. But alas, it was me who needed to get back to business, and I have nothing exculpatory to say. This post should …
Pomo Goopy Thought
Justin Taylor links to an article by Kevin DeYoung on how it is the the new Calvinists are overwhelmingly complementarians. For those unfamiliar with the jargon, complementarian is the name of the position that resists the ordination of women, while egalitarians support that ordination. There are other issues involved, of course, but that is the …