There is hope: hope for all of us who see injustice first in ourselves (God have mercy!) and then in the culture. We long to be just and to see social justice: the second growing naturally from the first. Our hearts cannot rest without justice and we cannot live without mercy in the justice. Hope begins in the nature of God, Just and Merciful. Hope is not certainty, because there are no quick answers to particular problems, the cosmos is too... Read more
If I knew why I loved the beloved, this would not tell me if the beloved existed. I might love her due to me, but she still is. The origin of my feelings do not control her being. She might (after all) be an illusion, a siren or mermaid imagined at sea, or she might be more than the sum of my desires: an independent being not dependent on me in the slightest. Suppose we had a full naturalistic account... Read more
My Mom and Dad never just give a birthday card: they underline, consider, and try to say what they think God (might) be saying. This year was no different, both putting just what (really!) I needed to hear. This was most encouraging. God speaks to us through people, but then God speaks in many ways just like any person. I can send a message through a trusted friend, create a work of art, or speak directly. I try to do what... Read more
I asked for new voices and got some outstanding writers! Today we hear from the erudite James R. Harrington. James R. Harrington earned his M.A. in Ancient History at California State University Fulleron and is a member of the Torrey Honors Institute. James has been a classical educator in a variety of settings over the past thirteen years. He lives in Houston with his wife, Sharon, and their daughter. Harrington began with a series on shields in classical literature and now... Read more
A middlebrow social media site, often witty, described pre-Revolutionary Russia as “backwards.” This was twitty enough to earn a response: bigotry about other cultures does great harm. Just as Americans have had to repent, reevaluate, and reassess our horrible and factually ignorant views of the First Nations, so many of us need to evaluate our take on pre-Revolutionary Russia. While some in the younger progressive movement quibble, mass murder by the Soviet Union is a fact. To mitigate the horror, some... Read more
We are building a building and for that we need an architect, engineers, and other workers. I do not have training in any of these areas, so my job has been to get multiple educated perspectives (putting the project out to bid, getting an oversight team) and staying out the way. A man must know what he does not know. I am glad that our building will, weather willing, be done by February. This hard task will be done. There is... Read more
At this eighth Fourth of July since joining Patheos, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of my ideas that I would pursue in relation to this Republic on this blog, seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of eight years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of American life which absorbed my attention at the time, and... Read more
What is the state of the race? We have an incumbent president slowly moving up to (almost) 44% approval in a time of relative peace and prosperity. That approval rating is too low and not historically good news for the incumbent. Simultaneously his disapproval rate has dropped (barely) below 52%.* This has been roughly the case since Mr. Trump declared his intention to run for re-election. These early polls are hard to interpret and this time there are several complicating factors different... Read more
The stars are ours, all of us, a beauty that never ends, changes interestingly, and pointed theistic philosophers toward the scientific methods. Standing at the ocean, if one can, is an opera of sounds and sights that inspire great art and literature. Walking in the woods, or a garden, is refreshing. God made a gratuitously beautiful world. Wherever we look, nature brings beauty. Humans are capable of going to the wrong place at the wrong time, but even in the... Read more
I spent several Glorious Fourths in Berkeley, California. Perhaps, the most old fashioned rousingly patriotic Fourth of my life was on an old naval vessel being lovingly restored by vets and community volunteers. Watermelon was as ubiquitous as the red rust, the fireworks lit up the Bay, and we sang some old fashioned tunes. Tonight I am wrapping up a road trip in this summer home away from home with dear friends. Hope and I went for a walk around the... Read more
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