David Koyzis is the author of the award-winning Political Visions and Illusions (2003), which recently came out in a Brazilian edition, Visões e Ilusões Politicas, and of We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God (2014).
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David T. Koyzis
Since Cardinal Bernardin's death in 1996, his consistent life ethic has been (ab)used more often to deprecate pro-lifers than to expand their apparently narrow horizons. But charges of hypocrisy aimed at pro-lifers on this basis are unfounded.
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A political system, along with such supportive traditions as the rule of law and loyal opposition, is supposed to be a durable fixture on the political landscape and ought not to be changed lightly. It should be amended only when a favorable consensus can be achieved, and if that consensus is not forthcoming, then the constitution remains as it is. Continue Reading »
If we are unclear as to the authority for our cultural transformative efforts, we run the risk of being transformed ourselves by the very culture we hope to change. In which case, there will be little difference between Niebuhr's “Christ transforming culture” and “Christ of culture.” Continue Reading »
A liberal Christian may be able to affirm that Jesus literally walked on the water or rose from the dead, yet he still retains the right as an individual to accept only that which supports his own experience of faith. Continue Reading »
At one time I strongly believed that every published Bible ought to contain the entire collection of books and not just, say, the New Testament. I still believe this to a very large extent, but I've moderated my views somewhat over the years. Continue Reading »
John Paul II firmly believed that we need fear only thoughtlessness and lack of courage. Just as Czechs and Slovaks maintained patience in the face of tyranny for four decades, we ourselves have reason to expect that current trends, however disheartening in the short term, will not endure forever. Continue Reading »
If individual autonomy is the jealous god it has proven itself to be, no rights of conscience or religious freedom will be permitted to stand in its way over the long term. But when does a person actually possess this autonomy to which he is said to have a right? Continue Reading »
The followers of Jesus Christ must manifest a confidence that the truth that sets us free is everyone’s truth, and not just a subjective truth peculiar to our own community. We should, in short, not be content to turn inward but ought always to reach out to the larger world. Continue Reading »
Despite legitimate efforts of believers to reserve a place in the public square, the followers of the secularizing ideologies have historically found ways to thwart such efforts, while, paradoxically, accusing the believers of trying to launch a theocratic takeover. Continue Reading »
What if it turns out that personal freedom, far from being opposed to authority, is simply another manifestation of authority? Continue Reading »
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