The essential characteristic that is necessary for helpful political analysis and action is not logic (though that is sometimes badly wanted), but is rather courage. The reason our liberties are eroding is because of a failure of nerve. The reason drunks on a fiscal jag have broken into your great-grandchildren’s piggy banks (in order to …
A Woman’s Body and Fatherlessness
We have been told, over and over again, that abortion is all about “a woman’s right to choose.” The pro-life comeback has been — correct as far as it goes — that this leaves the child’s right to life (and therefore the child’s right to choose) out of the equation. This is a valid argument, …
A Cloud of Contumely
If Herman Cain did not do the things that are alleged of him, then he should soldier on. If he did do them, and is lying about it now, then he should retire from the field in a cloud of contumely. All the spectators, meantime, should meditate on what constitutes proof, and assume the accusation …
No Condemnation Where There Ought to Be Some
A friend shared this link with me, one that illustrates nicely a point I have made before about the importance of “justification” in cultural and social polemics. First, check out this link that compares the Tea Party protests and the Occupy protests. Having perused that, here is the point about justification again. Justification means, as …
Ron Paul, Enemy of Liberty
Let me say at the outset that I don’t know who I will vote for when the primary campaign finally wends its way to Idaho. The field will no doubt be a bit different, and we likely know a good bit more about the candidates, probably a bit more than we wanted to know. I …
When Talking Heads Explode
The race for the Republican nomination is still too early in the demolition derby to make too much sense out of it. It will be interesting to see what happens when there are only three very dented cars still running. The conventional wisdom was that the rise of Herman Cain was just the latest flavor-of-the-month …
Cardinal Sexuality
I wanted to riff off of something that the Bayly brothers noted here. When we say that something is of cardinal importance, we are leaning on the older Latin meaning of the source word, cardo, which meant door hinge. Human sexuality is of cardinal importance. It is a hinge upon which all turns. It is …
The Golden Rule Hermeneutic
Jesus gave us a fundamental way of measuring our treatment of others — do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matt. 7:12). Pretty straightforward, and who disagrees with that? Well, the point of His instruction here was not likely to elicit disagreement so much as various forms of non-compliance. As sinners, …
What’s the Story?
Nate has a guest post over at Desiring God, which can be found here. The takeaway quote is here — “Kids (and adults) don’t just need the truth in their heads — they need it in their bones.” And the delivery platform for getting the truth into the bones is story. Fussers want all the …
Everyone But the Demons
As I have thought about how best to respond to this Occupy Wall St. business, it seems to me that it really should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. It is not every day that the body politic gets covered with economically illiterate pustules. We are trying to make out their demands — for …