Whether we like it or not, our understanding of Scripture (or lack of understanding) is a central part of our public policy debates. There will be more on this in an upcoming discussion of N.T. Wright’s unfortunate backing away from some of the central public ramifications of the faith, which he did in the aftermath …
Free Chocolate Milk for Everybody!
I have just been listening to Hillary’s and Obama’s speeches (I know, I know), and decided that I just needed to modify an observation of H.L. Mencken’s, to wit, that it appears to many that America is a giant milch cow with 300 million teats. This is a tad more reserved than a comment from …
Regulatory Fascism
One more comment needs to be made about Jonah Goldberg’s very fine book, Liberal Fascism. In order to follow the argument here, it is necessary to make a fundamental distinction that very few in modern political discourse are able to make — because of the prevalence of fascist assumptions — and that distinction is the …
Just Enough Oxygen for One
I want to begin a short series of comments, keyed off of Jonah Goldberg’s book Liberal Fascism. As Goldberg demonstrates repeatedly, fascism was a phenomenon of the left, and the ones who were fascinated by it in this country were what we call progressives. Simplifying only just a little bit, the differences between communism and …
A Name for Your Next Son
I am just now finishing up one of the most satisfying books I have read in a long time — Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. I will be posting further comments on the book in the future, but for now it should suffice to say that anyone who is in the slightest degree interested in the …
The Last Words of David
The Preamble of the Constitution of the State of Idaho includes this: “We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare do establish this Constitution.” Later, the same Constitution says: “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is …
Might As Well Go Along Quietly
An election is fast approaching. Many Christians are distressed at the condition of our country, and they are equally distressed over the choices they have in elections. Why is “none of the above” ever an option? While it is not appropriate to use a Christian pulpit as a partisan platform, it is equally unacceptable for …
Is the Christian Faith Right-Wing?
As the crisis in our country deepens, we must recognize the culpable role of the Church in bringing this crisis about. Not only has it been a culpable role, it has been a central culpable role. Because we have not been people of the Word, the result has been virtually no prophetic ministry to the …
Choosing Between a Real Enemy or a False Friend
Tomorrow is super-sized Tuesday, or whatever it is they call it. A discussion in a recent comments thread has asked why I would be unwilling to vote for Romney or McCain in the general election if they were running against Obama or Hillary, why I would “throw my vote away” by voting for an obscure …
Heaving a Dead Cat
I have two random thoughts on the circus maximus that we call presidential politics. First, the pagentry of modern politics is the pagentry of a false religion. In saying this I am of course not referring to the simple process of selecting a leader. That part of it is necessary and just fine. The problem …