To contradict this claim, one can come forward with evidence to suggest that racism in America today is about 25th on the list of problems facing black Americans. One can recount one of the great untold stories of America, namely, the moral growth and evolution away from that problem. This is not to say that racism is completely extinguished, but that it no longer prevents the forward progress of any black in the United States. There is no evidence to... Read more

The same people who worry about the mythological angry middle class white Christian do not worry about anger in itself. Anger, in our culture, is “privileged,” as academics put it. It is a sign of authenticity that is rarely “interrogated,” if expressed by approved groups. You will not suffer for declaring that you are outraged, and you will often be applauded. http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2011/11/privileged-anger   Read more

“We give birth. You pick up the check.” This pithy wisdom on female-male relations came from television hostess Kelly Ripa on her morning program Live with Regis and Kelly this past summer. When her co-host asked for her thoughts on the notion of women paying the bill after a dinner date, Ripa exclaimed, “I’m sure [a lady] doesn’t want to pick it up. Because she thinks that chivalry is dead already, maybe the guy should impress her and pick up... Read more

For the past year, audiences of Christians in the United States and Great Britain have been treated to an anti-Israel extravaganza, With God on Our Side. Produced by Rooftop Productions in 2010, this 82-minute movie purports to be a documentary about Christian Zionism and its impact on the prospects for peace between Israel and its adversaries in the Middle East. http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm/frm/98503/sec_id/98503   Read more

“A truly impressive work. It is remarkable to find a comprehensive and insightful guide to all of Edwards’s theology in one place and in a volume that is a pleasure to read.” –George Marsden, author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life http://www.amazon.com/Theology-Jonathan-Edwards-Michael-McClymond/dp/0199791600   Read more

Who knew that the intractable global problems of “overpopulation,” poverty, carbon emissions, climate change, deforestation, civil wars, unplanned pregnancies, and abortions could all be solved by the simple expedient of more birth control? Nicholas Kristof, for one. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/11/4265   Read more

Bishop Charles Chaput Most of us here tonight believe that we have basic rights that come with the special dignity of being human. These rights are inherent to human nature. They’re part of who we are. Nobody can take them away. But if there is no Creator, and nothing fundamental and unchangeable about human nature, and if “nature’s God” is kicked out of the conversation, then our rights become the product of social convention. And social conventions can change. So... Read more

“The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland,” said U.S. President Barack Obama in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, 2011. This theme of “people” and “historic homeland” has for centuries resonated with most Jews round the world. However, the president’s words were even more welcome, because our own time witnesses an increasingly bitter controversy over the Jewish people’s right to political self-determination in a part of its aboriginal homeland. Read more:... Read more

George Will Illustrating an intellectual confusion common on campuses, Vanderbilt University says: To ensure “diversity of thought and opinion” we require certain student groups, including five religious ones, to conform to the university’s policy that forbids the groups from protecting their characteristics that contribute to diversity. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/conformity-for-diversitys-sake/2011/11/01/gIQAUBOmgM_story.html   Read more

The second thing this “new form of Christianity ” is saying ts that the old ecumenism – the bilateral dialogues between Catholicism and mainline Protestantism – is over. Throughout the world, mainline liberal Protestantism is dying from its own theological implausibility. The serious ecumenical dialogue of the 21st century is with these “new forms of Christianity.” They may well lack “dogmatic content.” Some may be unscrupulous proselytizers. But at least some among them are searching for a deeper, richer theology... Read more