When the Pharisees criticize Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands before eating, Jesus responds by quoting from Isaiah 29:13: “this people draws near with their words and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” He immediately goes on to teach His disciples that defilement does not come from consuming food but from the words that come through the mouth from the heart: “what proceeds from the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matthew 15:11). In... Read more
Philosophy cannot be philosophy without theology. Philosophy has to exceed itself to be itself. Gratitude is the lever for philosophy’s fulfilling transcendence of itself. Here’s a sketch of the argument: Philosophy, let us say, is the analysis of human existence as such. But we don’t produce our own existence. It’s not my own sperm and egg that made me, and for the first period of life, we receive the necessities of physical life from people who are capable of doing... Read more
William Appleman Williams writes in his Tragedy of American Diplomacy (1962) that “in expanding its own economic system throughout much of the world, America has made it very difficult for other nations to retain any economic independence. This is particularly true in connection with raw materials. Saudi Arabia, for example, is not an independent oil producer [this was written before OPEC took off]. Its oil fields are an integrated and controlled part of the American oil industry. But a very... Read more
I offer some reflections on what the allegory of the Song of Songs can teach us about sex at http://www.firstthings.com/Â Read more
Methodist minister George S. Phillips said during the civil war that “Our mission . . . should only be accomplished when the last despot should be dethroned, the last claim of oppression broken, the dignity and equality of redeemed humanity everywhere established, and the American flag . . . should wave over every land and encircle the world with its majesttic folds. Then, and not till then, should the nation have accomplished the purpose for which it was established by... Read more
Farr again, commenting on the case of Abdul Rahman who was convicted of apostasy in Afghanistan, sentenced to death, and released after U.S. pressure. This all came after the Afghanistan had, with U.S. support, adopted a constitution: “The Afghan constitution was heralded as a major step [toward democracy] . . . . It created a presidential system, a parliament elected by universal adult suffrage, and an independent judiciary. It guaranteed free expression and equality under the law.” It explicitly declared... Read more
In his World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty Is Vital to American National Security , Thomas Farr describes the failures of the Bush administration to press for religious freedom in Saudi Arabia: “As the second Bush term neared its end, it seemed clear to administration supporters and critics alike that the United States could not afford to rile the Saudis at a time when their support would almost surely be needed to calm the confessional hatreds in... Read more
A fragment: Wilfred McClay has observed that despite our reputation as extroverted materialists, Americans have a strong introspective streak. [1] That is not surprising in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, when the United States has attained a world supremacy unmatched by any country in history. Power, as Richard Neuhaus pointed out long ago, is not self-justifying, and the enormous power that we now hold requires some explanation. Norwegians, Neuhaus surmised, spend relatively little time reflecting on the meaning... Read more
“They draw near with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their fear for me is commandment of rulers” (Isaiah 29:13; cf. Matthew 15:8). This well-known prophetic condemnation of hypocrisy implies a neat theory of language. First, it indicates that at least the intended purpose of speech, of the words of the mouth, is access. We speak in order to “draw near” to our hearers. The goal is personal access... Read more
INTRODUCTION In the opening section of this chapter, Isaiah prophesies the coming Assyrian siege of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36-37). David’s city is under siege (Isaiah 29:1), yet Yahweh intervenes at the last moment to disperse Jerusalem’s enemies like chaff (v. 5). THE TEXT “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add year to year; let feasts come around. Yet I will distress Ariel; there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be to Me as Ariel. I... Read more
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