The scholastic theology of St. Thomas Aquinas was masterful in its systematic rigor. There was also an equivalent Lutheran scholastic theologian: Johann Gerhard, whose works--now available in English--defined Lutheran orthodoxy in a way that is still illuminating today.
As we cast down monuments and reconsider former heroes, we must not forget to cancel Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, whose crusade for birth control was motivated by her racist beliefs.
Some people who were zealous for social distancing, mask wearing, and avoiding crowds to counter COVID-19, threw all of that concern away to encourage mass protests of the George Floyd killing. They recognized that dealing with sin is more important than death. Identity politics is a religion, but it's quite different from Christianity. So observes Georgetown professor Joshua Mitchell.
"Post-Protestant" refers to the Protestant mindset that continues, even though the Protestant religious beliefs that formed that mindset have faded away.
Conservative legal theory will mean that a conservative court will sometimes make liberal rulings. A consideration of three recent major rulings: the case that puts sexual orientation and gender identity into the Civil Rights law; the overturning of Louisiana's regulation of abortionists; and the case that allows public funding of Christian schools.
The birth of America is celebrated not on the date the British were defeated, or independence was granted, or the Constitution ratified. America was born with the "Declaration" of Independence--not its achievement. It took many years to gain political independence, and it took many more years to apply equality, rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all Americans. And the "pursuit" of these ideals must always continue.
A survivor of Chinese Communism notes similarities between the cultural revolution promoted by America's progressives and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution under Mao Tse Tung. Both target the "Four Olds" (Old Culture, Old Customs, Old Habits, and Old Ideas) by destroying monuments, eliminating books, and humiliating representatives of the old order.
Traditional taboos are being cast down, but they are being replaced by new ones. A social scientist shows how progressives are using the anthropology and psychology of taboos to shape public opinion and change the culture.
The Canadian social scientist Eric Kaufman discusses the prospect of a "Second American Revolution," as many Americans turn against their own culture and want to replace it with something completely different. He also analyzes how these cultural revolutionaries frame issues and shape opinions.
When members of a culture turn against that culture--repudiating its symbols, values, and heritage--the culture unravels. This is very rare, but it seems to be happening in some American circles. A social scientist studies just how much of America progressives want to change. Answer: Just about everything.
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