Matthew Lee Anderson

I’m attending the Summons of Freedom conference this morning at Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture . Attending conferences such as this is always a tad bittersweet—too many helpful and interesting papers to attend with not nearly enough time. But Mary Keys’ paper had . . . . Continue Reading »

For those of you on Twitter, I have put together a Twitter list for your convenience of all the Evangel writers that I could find on the platform.Twitter is, of course, the social platform du jour.  If you haven’t joined yet, you might consider it.  The bar for entry is significantly . . . . Continue Reading »

Just a quick note that I will be attending the Summons of Freedom Conference this coming weekend. If there are any other First Thoughts readers attending, do make sure you let me know in the comments, as I’d love to meet you. The annual gathering, which is put on by excellent Center for . . . . Continue Reading »

One of the common complaints against traditional evangelicalism is that it has been held captive by a distinctly Western approach to rationality that eschews mystery and narrative. The central target of this complaint is the “Enlightenment,” with its emphasis on reason to the detriment . . . . Continue Reading »

David Paul Deavel has a good write-up in Books and Culture of the resurgent interest in G.K. Chesterton.  As someone who is attracted to Chesterton’s creative localism and his critiques of modernity (I once called Orthodoxy the most important book for the twenty-first century and write at . . . . Continue Reading »

Jared pointed us to Doug Estes’ piece on Out of Ur on the myths surrounding online church, and rightly criticized it.  It is not his best work.  All I can say is, read the book.  From the excerpts I have read (2 or 3 chapters), Doug sincerely attempts to offer a reasoned case . . . . Continue Reading »

Frank’s  argument that “Government is reformed when men are first reformed” is persuasive, and I doubt that anyone could seriously disagree with it.  I was all prepared to raise the issue of Acts 16 and Paul’s strategic use of his Roman citizenship, but . . . . Continue Reading »

Jared has clarified his critique of evangelicals, which seems to be a sociological critique that, regardless of what we say at the end of the day, our orientation reveals that the political has in fact become an idol.I think it’s worth bringing up at this point Joe’s post from way back . . . . Continue Reading »

John Mark, if the question is going to be about having fun versus not having fun, well, then it is over before it begins in earnest.  But that is a false dichotomy of your own creation, not mine or Hanson’s.   Surely what’s not at stake is the enjoyment and delight in the . . . . Continue Reading »

John Mark, I’ll take the opposite approach.   I’ve been moving in Victor Davis Hanson’s general direction the last few months, having been impeded only by my own shallow convictions, deep habits, and a reticent wife.But, for conversation’s sake, I’ll offer . . . . Continue Reading »