Long ago Aristotle taught us that there is a sharp difference between the kind of behavior that democracies tend to like and the kind of behavior that will keep democracies from turning into smoking craters. He didn’t put it exactly like that, but you get the gist. In The Suicide of the West, James Burnham …
Abortion in the First Degree
So the following was occasioned by Donald Trump beclowning himself on the abortion issue, but it is not about that particularly. He said, remember, that women who get abortions should, were the practice to become illegal, receive some sort of punishment. He held to that position for about ten minutes, but it was long enough …
Slut-Shaming and the Gospel of Grace
In a time when we no longer know what a man is, or what a woman is, it would seem to follow that we can no longer know what the perversions of these offices are. Among many other weirdnesses, we are so far gone that we no longer know what a slut is. Societies and …
Gays, Gamblers and Gunslingers
Wesley Hill has asked if he will be gay in the resurrection. He raises the question thoughtfully and carefully, but the trajectory of his thinking is going in a decidedly different direction than my own thoughts have gone on this same general topic. His post is here if you want to check it out first. …
The Moral Tradition and War
So then, it is now time to follow up on my post on pro-life rhetoric and warfare. I am happy with what I said, but more certainly needs to be said. I made a distinction between jus ad bellum and jus in bello. The first has to do with the reasons for going to war, …
Why the Future of Atheism is Bleak
What can you do when you hate someone who is completely, entirely, wholly, and necessarily out of range? When it cannot strike at the Father God, He who dwells in unapproachable light, what can the rage of impotence do? There is really only one option, and that is to strike at an effigy. You cannot …
About the Chick on the Piano . . .
We are starting to live in a time when the word prophetic should be reserved for anyone who sees and notes what is obviously going on. My previous post on The Donald elicited various reactions. One kind of response, both in the comments here and on Facebook, complained about the fact that I had posted …
A Question That Requires More Traction
At the beginning of February, I presented this set of questions as questions needing to be asked of the Republican candidates. The paragraph below is the conclusion to this post. In addition, every candidate for president needs to be pressed on this same question. We are now in the midst of primary season, which means …
Rhymes With Bruise
I want to begin what I say here by honoring the memory of Justice Antonin Scalia. He was a man who understood himself, who understood the Constitution, and who understood the enemies of constitutional liberty — whose name unfortunately is Legion. Here is Scalia on the reason for this. “God assumed from the beginning that …
A Six-Inch Swath of Orange Shag
So the other night at the recent Republican debate, three candidates said they would be fine with women having to register for the Selective Service. Those three were Christie, Bush, and Rubio. After the debate, Cruz said that he thought the idea was “nuts.” “We have had enough with political correctness — especially in the …