Lord willing, as time goes by, I will be interacting more with Real Marriage by Mark and Grace Driscoll. But here are some of my basic assumptions going into the discussion. 1. Words written are easier to interact with (and be concerned about) than words unwritten. Pastors like Driscoll frequently get in trouble for things …
Bungee Cords and Baling Wire
Let us talk about a states’ rights approach to the baseline sexual issues — by which I mean issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. This issue has been brought to the fore by Ron Paul’s constitutionalist approach to tackling such problems. Paul believes — and he is right — that the Constitution permits states to …
A Dog With Two Tails
Rick Santorum has said that those who are critical of his so-called “big government conservatism” are wrong, and they are libertarians to boot. Since he is not a libertarian, he rejects the label — he reasons that if you are a virtual anarchist, then everything is going to look like big government to you. That’s …
An Iowa Caucus Nano-Margin
Here are a few observations that conservatives can pack into their suitcases as they leave Iowa. Romney edged out Santorum by eight votes — a victory so razor-thin close as to make no difference. Eight votes! And the way the expectations world is structured, Romney cannot really claim a triumph here and Santorum can. In …
So Cold, So Sweet, So Sweet, So Fair
If I believe, as I do, that the chief threat to American security is our own government’s wastrel ways, its out-of-control spending, in distinction from Islamic fundamentalism, then why wouldn’t I just full-tilt endorse Ron Paul? I am unwilling to do that, despite appreciating many of the things he says, and liking many of the …
Twenty Percent of a Wave
Ross Douthat makes a reasonable amount of good sense on the Ron Paul sitch here. I will try to add my little bit of good sense at this time — 24 hours before the Iowa raucous starts — bringing the national percentage of good sense about Paul up to about 1.7%. Nate and I were …
What She Doesn’t Have for Sale
As I have done some blog touring during this political season, I have come across a category of “conservative” blogs that try to adhere to what is called Rule 5 by a number of these blogs. I think the rule was formulated by Stacy McCain (theothermccain.com), offering to teach you how to get a million …
When to Stop and Smell the Cattle Barns
I am fond of saying that God is perfect, but He is not a perfectionist. There are many ways in which we might pursue this, but I want to talk about our political process for a moment. I agree with and accept one of the criticisms that is made of the Ron Paul movement — …
The Singing Revolution
The other night Nancy and I watched the documentary The Singing Revolution. If you have a chance to get a copy, it is well worth your time. The documentary chronicles Estonia’s path to liberation from the Soviet Union, and shows the crucial role that music played in that liberation. There were a number of takeaway …
Ron Paul and Some “Yeah, Buts”
I wanted to take just a minute to offer a few “yeah, buts” to David Bahnsen’s recent assessment of the average Ron Paul fan, which you can read here. David’s a good guy, and I sympathize with a lot of what he is saying here — but not with all. I have no reason to …