I sometimes think that secularists, including the conservative ones, have never heard of Venn diagrams. The concept of overlapping spheres of thought continues to elude them. The idea of layered hierarchies is floating above their heads, just out of reach. If you point out the incoherence of secularism (or say that you do such a …
Larry, Moe and Curly in the Gates
In ancient Israel, the gates of the city were not just a point of entrance. They served the same function pointed to by our phrase “the public square.” When a virtuous woman was praised “in the gates,” this meant that she was publicly recognized (Prov. 31:31). When Boaz wanted to conduct an important financial transaction, …
Neighbor-Love in the Handbasket
Here are a few quick comments about how R2K theology is rapidly running out of options. A few months ago, Michael Horton explained how concervative Christians could (tentatively) support domestic partnerships for homosexual couples. If the culture wars were something that involved four walls and a paint can, this is what painting yourself into a …
With My Customary Mildness
Those conservatives who believe that the threat of same-sex marriage is coming solely from places like the gay pride parades of San Francisco aren’t paying close enough attention. A lot is going on, in the legal world, in the entertainment industry, in the crazy vanguards, and elsewhere. There is in fact a lot of pressure …
When Life Gives You Lemons . . .
In the midst of our, ahem, robust discussion this last week, it occurred to my agent that this might be a good time to ask HuffPo if they wanted a piece from me on 50 Shades. They did, and it is now posted here. This is important because it appears that feminists are trying to …
Just an Excuse to Tell the Joke? You Decide.
Hey, I had another thought on this whole business. People who don’t get out much can suffer from a limited imagination, and consequently a creative understanding of metaphor is quite beyond them. The only use of colonial that they know of involves tri-corner hats, which they don’t think is sexy at all. It reminds them …
The Politics of Outrage
Gather around, children, and I will try to provide you with a brief post mortem on the recent ruckus created by our professional indignati. The Bible certainly says to weep with those who weep. When one part of the body hurts, the rest of the body hurts. But this happens in community, face to face, …
My Very Own Trigger Alert
In this happy little imbroglio of ours, I am pleased to say that this was the very first trigger alert. (HT: Michael Terry). These are the first lines of Fidelity. But I have noticed two things about this sort of qualification. The first is liberated outrage if I suggest that you should talk to women …
Probably Where I Learned It
And in a Facebook discussion of Recent Events, my brother Evan pointed out this passage from That Hideous Strength: Jane said, “I always thought it was in their souls that people were equal.” “You were mistaken,” he said gravely. “That is the last place where they are equal. Equality before the law, equality of incomes …
An Episcopalian Lays Down Some Diversionary Fire
A friend sent me this, apropos of the discussion themes around here . . . “Sex, as commonly conceived, is something a couple do together. But the sexual act itself is not quite like that. It is, and remains, something a man does to a woman. They are not both working at the same thing. …