At heart, though I was born in Illinois, and spent only seven years there, I will always be a West Virginian. After hundreds of years of ancestors living and dying in western Virginia, I called it home decades after I had lived longer in New York or California. But I know this truth, there was much that was great, good, and noble about the Empire State, whose history I tried to teach seventh graders for several years, and who gave... Read more
This debate marks the beginning of the end for most candidates on tonight’s stage. Voting is about to begin and the field will be at four by the end of February. Starting at 8 God’s time, Houston to the losers elsewhere, I will live blog the debate as the cranky old Muppet at the back of the theater. This exercise in “philosopher meets politicians” is unedited and according to my Mom “uproarious fun.” At this point in the process, we... Read more
Take one sentence in a long book: “His failed presidency had given way to Reagan, who relied on an emerging army of religious zealots, “culture warriors” bent on restoring American values of godliness.” ― from “All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid” This otherwise insightful book on the Gary Hart scandal is in line with the general attitude of the highly influential books on politics in the punditry. Richard Ben Cramer’s book on the 1988 election What It Takes is both... Read more
Sometimes atheists and agnostics who are non-academics* call themselves skeptics, but they really should not. They are not generally skeptical, but reserve their skepticism for supernatural or religious claims. Like anybody else, they believe a great many things provisionally that might be wrong: ideas about the world, their neighbor, or even their fantasy football team! In fact, skepticism is good. Everyone, including religious people, should be skeptical. After the twentieth century and our experiences in the twenty-first century, the Orthodox are... Read more
David Bowie is dead. Many (all?) of my students will have to be told who David Bowie was. Nothing fades so quickly as celebrity and we don’t know if in thirty years anyone will recall David Bowie. We do know that he once appeared with Bing Crosby on a Christmas special. Bing was famous on radio, television, movies, and music. He was at the top in all those fields and “Bing” just meant Bing Crosby before it meant a second-tier search... Read more
I have gotten to work with some great leaders such as Presidents Clyde Cook and Barry Corey from Biola University, Berkeley law professor Phillip E. Johnson, and fine deans like Doris Warren, Matt Boyleston, and Chris Hammons of HBU. I have a chance to watch the genius of Provost Robert Stacey of The Saint Constantine School every day. My Dad was a leader with integrity and he was just the same at home as he was when building a successful church.... Read more
Today I saw the marriage between two people who know the meaning of community: loving people. Every law, rule, and idea is in service to God, the ultimate person, and then to His children, humankind. Loving friendships between people are fundamental to all the good that we do. There is only one relationship where making love makes life: the love of a man and woman. There is only one relationship where making life is sanctioned: the love of a man... Read more
What should we say or do when we are pressed for reasons to believe? Orthodox apologetics is not about winning arguments, but saving our minds from deception. The battle is primarily spiritual, but does include an intellectual component. Arguments supporting the existence of God are rarely why we believe in God, but reassurance that our interpretation of our religious experience are not self-delusion or madness. There are many reasons to reject atheism, but the best is the fact that almost... Read more
It isn’t Christmas anymore. The New Year is old enough that I have had to pay the bills and Easter is very distant with Lent, the Great Fast, coming before the next feast. Even the secular party, the Super Bowl, is a month away. We are in normal time, back to normal music (Hamilton sound track and less Bing Crosby) and normal entertainment. Politics will soon dominate the news and most of us are already tired of everyone running. I... Read more
There was a science fiction short story, I cannot recall the name, which predicted in the future that meaningful work would be the great luxury. The only job the poor had in this story was consuming. We are getting there. Our poor have stuff, are encouraged to borrow to get more stuff, and are not starving, but they cannot find meaningful work. When I went back to work after Christmas break, I felt so happy. My job is ideal, my... Read more
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