Americans have lost the art of honest debate. Perhaps better stated, we have thrown it away. Advocates on all sides of political and cultural spectrums cynically manipulate public opinion through focus group“tested obfuscating words and phrases rather than persuade through candid and accurate descriptions of advocacy agendas… . Continue Reading »
I regret the need to report this, but I must. In the March issue we published “Homosexual Marriage, Parenting, and Adoption,” written by Gilles Bernheim, Chief Rabbi of France. Or so we thought. It turns out that Rabbi Bernheim plagiarized some portions… . Continue Reading »
Until recent decades at least, nearly all Americans have believed in an unchanging God, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” If God does not change, does God’s manner and rate of revelation change over time? Typically, those who have wrestled with the issue of canon in the history of American religion have made only crude differentiation among different groups. … Continue Reading »
Serial killer Kermit Gosnell was convicted in a case that most Americans have not been following. Why is that? How could it have been different? The answers to those questions could help conservative donors (even small donors) better reach more Americans… . Continue Reading »
As the Revised Standard Version renders the fourteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas remind the proto-Christians of Antioch that it is only “through many tribulations” that we enter the Kingdom of God. The New American Bible translation drives the point home even more sharply: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” … Continue Reading »
So Kermit Gosnell has cut a deal, and will not even face the formality of a death sentence. That might seem to render moot discussion of what he really deserved. But since late-term abortionists like him are still plying their trade across America, there will be more trials like Kermit Gosnell’s, and the question will come up again: Ought such men to die? … Continue Reading »
What is most alarming about popular young adult novelist Cory Doctorow’s vision is the understanding of God that he proffers. Feeling the indifference of the universe does not plunge him into an abyss of meaninglessness, as one might think: It liberates him from this inner Big Brother… . Continue Reading »
The problem with much Christian worship in the contemporary world, Catholic and Protestant alike, is not that it is too entertaining but that it is not entertaining enough. Worship characterized by upbeat rock music, stand-up comedy, beautiful people taking center stage, and a certain amount of Hallmark Channel sentimentality neglects one classic form of entertainment … Continue Reading »
The birth of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, two hundred years ago this month, has produced many commentaries and events celebrating the great Christian thinker. It’s not difficult to understand why. In works like Either/Or, Fear and Trembling, and The Sickness Unto Death, Kierkegaard speaks to the perennial questions and painful choices we all face … Continue Reading »
A dozen Christian leaders have warned against adding recognition of same-sex partners to any immigration bill. “If your or any other proposal includes [same-sex] provisions, most, if not all of us, would have to oppose it, preventing us from mobilizing our extensive networks on behalf of the bill,” they told Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) in a May 1 letter… . Continue Reading »
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