INTRODUCTION As soon as Israel left Egypt, many wanted to return. Centuries later, they still want to go back because they hope Egypt can protect them from Assyria. It won’t work. Repentance, including repentance for trusting Egypt, is the only hope (Isaiah 30:15). THE TEXT “Woe to the . . . . Continue Reading »
When the Pharisees criticize Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands before eating, Jesus responds by quoting from Isaiah 29:13: “this people draws near with their words and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” He immediately goes on to teach His . . . . Continue Reading »
Philosophy cannot be philosophy without theology. Philosophy has to exceed itself to be itself. Gratitude is the lever for philosophy’s fulfilling transcendence of itself. Here’s a sketch of the argument: Philosophy, let us say, is the analysis of human existence as such. But we . . . . Continue Reading »
William Appleman Williams writes in his Tragedy of American Diplomacy (1962) that “in expanding its own economic system throughout much of the world, America has made it very difficult for other nations to retain any economic independence. This is particularly true in connection with raw . . . . Continue Reading »
I offer some reflections on what the allegory of the Song of Songs can teach us about sex at http://www.firstthings.com/ . . . . Continue Reading »
Methodist minister George S. Phillips said during the civil war that “Our mission . . . should only be accomplished when the last despot should be dethroned, the last claim of oppression broken, the dignity and equality of redeemed humanity everywhere established, and the American flag . . . . . . . Continue Reading »
Farr again, commenting on the case of Abdul Rahman who was convicted of apostasy in Afghanistan, sentenced to death, and released after U.S. pressure. This all came after the Afghanistan had, with U.S. support, adopted a constitution: “The Afghan constitution was heralded as a major step . . . . Continue Reading »
In his World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty Is Vital to American National Security , Thomas Farr describes the failures of the Bush administration to press for religious freedom in Saudi Arabia: “As the second Bush term neared its end, it seemed clear to . . . . Continue Reading »
A fragment: Wilfred McClay has observed that despite our reputation as extroverted materialists, Americans have a strong introspective streak. [1] That is not surprising in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, when the United States has attained a world supremacy unmatched by any . . . . Continue Reading »
“They draw near with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their fear for me is commandment of rulers” (Isaiah 29:13; cf. Matthew 15:8). This well-known prophetic condemnation of hypocrisy implies a neat theory of language. First, it . . . . Continue Reading »
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