Francis J. Beckwith's Reflections on Faith, Ethics and Culture
It is the intellectual version of being short-changed. Here's what Ace says at Ace of Spades HQ: So here's how this works. I'm an insurer. Here were your two options, before Obama's brilliant solution: I could cover your employees for x dollars. If you want birth control/abortifacient coverage, we'll add that rider for y dollars. So this option is x + y dollars. Obama's genius solution is: Hey, we'll cover your employees for x + y dollars as a baseline. But we'll toss in … [Read more...]
I recently came across this blog post at the site, Thoughts of Francis Turretin: "Another Beckwith-like Apostasy to Rome." The author writes: You may recall that some time ago, Francis Beckwith made waves by secretly rejoining the Roman communion, while continuing in his role as president of Evangelical Theological Society. Sadly, we can add to that another similar tale. Mr. Jason Stewart was an OPC pastor. According to a letter provided by his (now former) presbytery: Whereas the date Mr. … [Read more...]
In response to the new HHS regulations, about which I have written several entries (see below), some have responded by pointing out that most Catholics practice birth control in defiance of the teachings of their Church. I've got news for you: Catholics also commit adultery, lie, cheat, steal, and sometimes even become Protestant. I suspect that there are also Mormons who drink coffee, Orthodox Jews who sneak bacon bits on their salads, and Southern Baptists who make the occasional visit to … [Read more...]
That's the title of a piece that was published in this morning's Wall Street Journal. It is authored by two friends of mine, Robert P. George and O. Carter Snead. Robby is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Carter is professor of law and the incoming director of the Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. You can read it here. … [Read more...]
That's the title of my latest column over at The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: The old anti-Catholicism found its expression in the mid-nineteenth century when the first large wave of Catholic immigrants arrived in the United States. Some of these immigrant groups had set up their own private religious schools. Many non-Catholic Americans, however, believed that Catholic schools indoctrinated students in superstitions that were inconsistent with the principles of American democracy. … [Read more...]
Today, January 30, 2012, is the 100th birthday of Francis A. Schaeffer. He was an important influence on my intellectual formation while I was in college. Although given my return to the Catholic Church I would now part ways with Schaeffer on several philosophical and theological questions, I still retain a healthy appreciation of the role he played in making American Evangelicals aware that the Christian faith is a rational knowledge tradition that simply cannot be relegated to the realm of … [Read more...]
Newt claims that Mitt has character issues, and now Herman Cain is endorsing Newt. Looks like Newt has too many ironies in the fire. … [Read more...]
The following was issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 on the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas (28 January): Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today the liturgical calendar commemorates St Thomas Aquinas, the great Doctor of the Church. With his charism as a philosopher and theologian, he offered an effective model of harmony between reason and faith, dimensions of the human spirit that are completely fulfilled in the encounter and dialogue with one another. According … [Read more...]
My mother-in-law, Peggy Dickerson, died two years ago today, on January 27, 2010. My wife misses her so much. What follows is the text of the eulogy I delivered at her memorial service. Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them her. I would like to now say a few words about my mother-in-law, Peggy Dickerson. She was born August 31, 1924 in Los Angeles, California. She was one of three children of Frankie Bernice and Andrew Buchanan Gardenhire. But it was in … [Read more...]
Are you prepared for America to have a First Lady who was a home wrecker and was once the President's mistress (if Gingrich were to become President)? Many Christian conservatives--smitten by Newt's rhetorical flourishes, as they are of any "good preaching"--seem not to have the imagination to entertain this question. It crossed my mind weeks ago, but I thought it churlish to raise it online, until I witnessed Gingrich's retort to John King when the CNN correspondent brought up the ABC … [Read more...]
A post of mine from yesterday--Better to be an adulterer than a Mormon?: Evangelicals, Gingrich, and Romney--garnered the most hits in the history of this blog. In response to this entry, my dear friend Michael Bauman writes in the combox: All other things being equal, it’s better to be a forgiven Catholic — Gingrich, than a forgiven Mormon — Romney, especially when the Catholic is better informed, more experienced, more articulate, and has a better record of legislative achievement (not … [Read more...]
That is the title of my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. Here is how it begins: Although we celebrate anniversaries on wedding dates, I am not writing to celebrate a wedding. That would be like ending the baseball season right after President Obama throws out the first pitch on opening day. No, I am writing to celebrate a marriage, one that, if they make it to next Monday, will have lasted fifty-two years. To give you an idea how long that is, it’s about 27,349,336 minutes, or … [Read more...]
Sunday, January 22, is the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (1973). Even though many citizens reject the opinion, not many know why it is so flawed. In chapter 2 of my 2007 book, Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice (Cambridge University Press), I offer a detailed analysis of Roe and some subsequent Supreme Court opinions. An earlier version of that chapter was published in 2006 (1.1, pp. 37-72) in the inaugural issue of the Liberty University Law Review under the title … [Read more...]
(Update: You may be interested in the January 20, 2012 follow-up post--Gingrich, Romney, and Evangelicals Follow-Up--in which I respond to a critique of the entry below) On October 12-15, I had an amazing visit to Utah. I conducted a faculty workshop at Brigham Young University on abortion and personhood, and then gave a talk on my return to the Catholic Church. Both events were attended by faculty members from both the School of Law and the School of Religion. I also conducted a workshop in … [Read more...]
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