There are two problems that contribute to mission drift. Well, there are more than just two, but there are two that represent, as Newton might put it, were he here, opposite and equal errors. One is the error of turning over the reins before the vision is deep in the institutional bones, and to turn …
Contempt for Sharkey Law
The difference between an unbelieving libertarian and an unbelieving leftist is quite simple to grasp. The unbelieving libertarian wants to go to Hell, and the unbelieving leftist wants to do the same thing, but wants me to pay for it. Both need the gospel, and both present a problem for the evangelist. There is a …
Pour Us Another
When your predictions come true in the moral sphere, this makes you less believable, not more. And when all your predictions come true, you are guilty of hate crimes. There were two basic elements of the prophets’ vocation to Israel. One was that of foretelling, and the other was that of forthtelling. The first predicted …
Statist Solutioneering
Wright’s last three chapters were really very good. They were “How to Engage Tomorrow’s World,” “Apocalypse and the Beauty of God,” and “Becoming People of Hope.” What I want to do is make a few brief comments about each, and then make two observations about the book as a whole, and Wright’s influence generally. In …
The Rhetoric Trap
Quintilian defines rhetoric as the art of a good man speaking well. Before getting into that, we need to address a problem that sometimes arises with bookish sorts. As we do this we also have to deal with the problem of doing this in our postmodern age, which is an age of sophistry, illusion, and …
The Paideia Principle
The Christian faith is a religion of world conquest, and no, not that kind of world conquest. If we do not believe this, then every form of cultural engagement will be simply a form of slow surrender. It is the way of compromise. You can always tell this kind of person because they are always …
The Vision Handoff
Pre-Introduction One of the problems with having a very efficient ACCS staff is that they request outlines from the speakers long before some of the speakers have any idea what they are going say. That means that you get a rudimentary outline, often bearing very little relation to what the speaker up front is actually …
Bet You a Can of Corn
I should begin by saying that this bit of writing is not a rant. I can assure you that at no time in the composition was the screen spittle-flecked. I remained in a good humor the entire time. And I mention all this because it is my intention to step out a bit, high, wide, …
What the Pimp Needs to Do
In this installment, I want to commend Wright yet again, briefly summarize what he says, and then try to supply a key element that I think he is missing. Were he to gain that element, either from me or from a reputable dealer, I believe the good points he is urging here would gain a …
Caesar as Coxcomb
Given how hard I have been on Wright for most of these chapters, it might seem remarkable to some that I have now come to what I consider to be the second outstanding chapter of this book. Others might think the word remarkable is not the right word. Perhaps the word schizophrenic is the one …