Here is a Q&A on the Bloomington tolerance parade over at John Starke’s place.
Five Aphorisms for the Fourth
The problem with George III was that he was from the House of Hanover. The problem with Obama is he’s from the House of Handover. Christians who absolutize obedience to the “existing authorities” never seem to think that the Constitution is an existing authority. Shooting off fireworks without a real commitment to liberty now is …
Three Coyotes and a Sheep
When I say that the Bible requires limited government — because a claim to unlimited government by mortals is a spurious claim to Deity — I do not mean that Christians may not find themselves living under despotic regimes from time to time. Our understanding of these things (given by grace) does not automatically transfer …
No Fluttering Dove
Governors Jindal and Scott are to be commended for publicly stating that they will not implement Obamacare in Louisiana and Florida respectively. There will doubtless be other statements like this, and they are all to be encouraged. In 2010, the legislative House of my own state of Idaho passed a measure that stated their unwillingness …
Seven Quick Thoughts on the Obamasnare
1. Yesterday I sent out a tweet that offered my legal analysis of the Obamacare de . . . well, let us call it a decision. That theory was that somebody has PHOTOS of John Roberts. Not an assertion, not a charge, just an attempt to place a charitable construct upon the inexplicable. Others have …
An Indonesian Book Burning
There is currently a ruckus over in Indonesia over a book I wrote, 5 Cities That Ruled the World. The publisher there (Gramedia) has formally apologized for their role in it, and has burned their copies of the book. The first thing about this that I should note is that people on the other side …
Up With People With Calculators
The vote in Wisconsin last night was heartening, on a number of levels. First, I was gratified that the very first thing Scott Walker did was give glory to God for His abundant grace. Cynics can dismiss that sort of thing as campaign boiler plate, but in the Bible, it remains a big deal. It …
The Cassandra Effect
Cassandra was that unfortunate woman who was cursed with an ability to foretell the future accurately, while at the same time never having her predictions believed. There is a sense in which that particular curse is a type for our times. Of course, it would not apply to simple predictions about the Kentucky Derby or …
Getting the Warm Tar
We all believe things on the basis of authority, and it is impossible to function otherwise. I believe there is such a place as Nepal, and I do so without ever having been there myself. But there is a distinction to be made between settled authority, and what I would like to call hard sell …
Privacy or Anonymity?
There is a vast difference between a Christian desire for privacy and the unbelieving desire for anonymity. But this requires some teasing out, which I can only just begin here. First, let me make a few observations that would indicate that we don’t really know what privacy should mean. Vast regiments of people post things …