In the year 325 CE, the first great world-wide council of the Christian Church deliberated in Nicaea under the leadership of the Bishops of the territory of the Roman Empire, and of the new Christian Emperor Constantine I. In addition to establishing a unified church dogma concerning the Holy Trinity and who Jesus is, the Council of Nicaea adjudicated many matters doctrinal and theological. One of these was a formal institution of the season of the liturgical calendar in which... Read more
We like to think of God in terms of sides - God's either on our side or theirs, we're either on God's side or not. But I think God might instead be on the sidelines, weeping that battle lines are again being drawn. Read more
On Friday, March 21st, Burns Strider sat down with Salena Zito of Off Road Politics’ to talk faith, elections, and rural voters. Zito is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer, a Trib editorial page columnist, and host of Off Road Politics on TribLIVE radio. When these two get together, it’s always a good time! Strider began his career as an intern in the early 90’s for then-Congressman Mike Espy (D-MS) and then-Senator Al Gore (D-TN). Since then, he has held an... Read more
If you ask your average “Irish American” about the life of Saint Patrick you would hear something about an Irish Shepherd who rid the Ireland of snakes with the power of Christianity—if you’re lucky. It is more likely that you would hear nothing about the “real” Saint Patrick, instead being forced to listen to incoherent mumblings from someone wearing all green and drinking Guinness out of a solo cup. Now I’m not trying to downplay the festivities of Saint Patrick’s... Read more
Government is a calling to serve, to promote the general welfare and pursue the common good. Pope Francis said as much when he stated, “Politics is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good.” The responsibility of a government and its leaders to the people they have authority over is also a theme that is woven throughout Scripture. The way we treat our children and elderly, struggling families, and veterans who have served our country... Read more
Last week, in response to the 50th anniversary of President Johnson’s War on Poverty, Rep. Paul Ryan released a Poverty Report arguing for severe cuts to many of the programs that provide assistance to the working poor. Rather than offering concrete suggestions of his own on how to assist struggling families, the report simply attacks programs that have prevented millions of working Americans from falling through the cracks. It is striking that often the most strident attacks on these programs... Read more
The radical philosophy of twentieth century author Ayn Rand is known by its’ title: Objectivism. This particular worldview denies the existence of God, castigating it as a delusion (sound familiar?), celebrates an unrestrained and uncompromising free market ideology along with impotent governmental structures to render any semblance of moral or practical balance in the allocation of goods and services, or rights in the workplace, null and void. It is indeed Social Darwinism on steroids! Rand’s magnum opus is a novel... Read more
As a recent college graduate, there is a narrative arc of success that is offered to me by a capitalist-driven society. Having graduated from a competitive university after being primed to do so my entire life, I have already taken the first steps. Next, my journey towards full adulthood should lead me towards an entry-level job, a serious romantic relationship, and intentional time spent building social capital. In ten years, perhaps I should own a home and a car. I... Read more
Okay, so there are a lot of “things” about Jesus. But the thing I’ve been meditating on most recently is his mind-blowing capacity to meet people exactly where they are. It seems like a simple concept, but we struggle day in and day out to accept people as children of God. Instead, we tend to ask things of them before they’re deemed worthy of our love, time, or respect. Or before they’re deemed worthy of food or medical care (another... Read more
My name is John Hilton and I am delighted to be affiliated with Faithful Democrats. That sounds awfully cliché; of the AA variety in fact. But it is true, and anyone who knows me well enough will understand the amateur attempt at humor. For I am a walking contradiction to the old Winston Churchill axiom that a young man should have heart and be a liberal, and a mature man should have brains and thus be a conservative. Confident that... Read more
Faithful Democrats
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In