A Primer on the Fourth of July

What is celebrated on the Fourth of July? Two things. The formal reason for our celebration is the establishment of our nation in the Declaration of Independence, coupled with the successful completion of the war, coupled in turn with the adoption of our Constitution, which secured that independence. The second reason has to do with …

The American and French Revolutions Compared

Introduction: So I would like to discuss the radical difference between the American and French revolutions, and would like to do so with the aid of Friedrich von Gentz (1764-1832). He was a German writer, thinker, publicist, and man of public affairs. He wrote a short little booklet comparing the two revolutions, and it was …

7 Theses on Historical Loyalties

Grounded loyalty is an inescapable part of historical studies, and attempts at academic detachment are simply attempts that reveal misplaced loyalty to a guild of historians (say) instead of to (say) your nation. What I want to do here is offer seven theses that might help us approach this most helpful truth from various angles. 1. …

Covenant Evangelism

From Antithesis (Vol. II, No. 3) May/June 1991 To put it mildly, American Christianity is regrettably permeated with an individualism that stands in stark contrast to the biblical teaching of cov­enantal Christianity. But even Christians who believe in and emphasize covenan­tal thinking are still influ­enced by this individual­ism; they often exhibit a marked tendency to …

Religion of Force

“Clearly Islam is a religion of force which denies basic freedom. It may not be politically correct to say so, but pretending that the Quran is a pacifist document and that Islam has a consistent track record of peace and tolerance is either foolish or deceitful” (Peter Hammond, Slavery, Terrorism & Islam, p. 46).

Brief Polytheism

“Muhammad also compromised with the Meccan merchants during a particularly intense time of persecution. Formerly he had fearlessly condemned polytheism. Then, under pressure, he accepted the Meccan belief that Allah had a wife, Al-lat, and two daughters, Al Uzzo and Manat (Surah 53:20-23). Later Muhammad repudiated these so called Satanic verses and claimed that all …

Dar-al-Harb

“Muslims in fact divide the world into two sectors: Dar-al-Islam (the House of Islam) and Dar-al-Harb (The House of War). The only countries considered to be at peace are those where Islamic law (the Sharia) is enforced. Islam does not recognize the right of any other religion or worldview to exist” (Peter Hammond, Slavery, Terrorism …