In the News 1. OBAMA: THE MAN WITH THE PLAN? Although it contains a generous helping of the usual Obama-adoration (“He’s Tiger Woods — a natural who’s lost his swing”) from someone whose own sensibilities align with the President’s in almost every particular, Thomas Friedman’s column today is worth reading if only for this point: “People don’t want to cheer just the man anymore. They want to cheer the man and his plan — a real plan, not just generalities and... Read more
After writing the Morning Report for today, I came across two articles I had to share — not because I agree with either in its entirety, but because both offer valuable information and perspectives. The first comes from Joe Nocera, and it’s a lot more even-handed than the title suggests. It’s called “How Democrats Hurt Jobs“: Boeing’s aircraft assembly has long been done by its unionized labor force in Puget Sound, Wash. Most of the new Dreamliners will be built... Read more
In the News 1. While the pronouncements of victory may be immature, it does appear that a successful resolution of the Libyan war is imminent. I’d suggest this impassioned piece congratulating those who have helped to bring it about. This was an interesting paragraph: In truth, the conflict, once more, opposed these two vast parties that are as old as politics itself. On the one side, the eternal family, not so much of enemies of the people or friends of... Read more
In the News 1. A recently-released survey of American economists finds that those advocating spending cuts — like, say, Christians for a Sustainable Economy — are not alone. 56 percent of members of the National Association for Business Economics responded — in the heat of the debt-ceiling crisis — that the federal deficit should be reduced “only or primarily through spending cuts.” 37 percent favored equal cuts and tax increases, and only 7 percent believed the federal deficit should be... Read more
My Everyday Transcendence series has highlighted music and art and endurance in the midst of suffering. This video is a work of art unto itself, about a person engaged in a form of art (photography), whose subjects are works of art engaged in some of the most transcendent activities imaginable. Hope you enjoy it. (HT Galen Dalrymple) Read more
*** Morning Report – In the Pews *** 1. Lisa Miller of the Washington Post, hardly an evangelical apologist, has a great piece on all the “crazy Christian” stories in the new right now. Here comments on “Dominionism” are important: “Dominionism” is the paranoid mot du jour. In its broadest sense, the term describes a Christian’s obligation to be active in the world, including in politics and government. More narrowly, some view it as Christian nationalism. You could argue that... Read more
1. Texas has produced over the past five years more net new jobs than the rest of the American states combined. This presents a problem for those — especially Obama partisans — who are eager to undermine Governor Rick Perry, or even to undermine conservative economic policies. The Wall Street Journal considers the argument: The critics claim demography is destiny, and of course jobs and population tend to rise and fall in tandem. The number of Texans is booming: According... Read more
In the News 1. Important pieces on “twin killings” or (more euphemistically) “reductions” — in which a twin, or two out of three triplets, are killed in the womb so that a mother can have only one child — from William Saletan and our own Nancy French. 2. Phillip Klein at the Washington Examiner on defending — but not supporting — Rick Perry: Hearing some of the over-the-top criticisms of Perry coming from the left, not to mention the ridiculous... Read more
Note: This is the latest in a series on homosexuality and Christianity. See the introduction and first, second and third parts. I recently began a series of blog posts on Christianity and homosexuality, and then left off for a while. The truth is that I’ve been dreading writing the next installment — this one — in the series. Absolutely dreading it. Why? Many of my friends, colleagues and former students are homosexual. I respect them, admire them, like them, and love them. They... Read more
For my Sunday reposts, I choose pieces previously written, but still relevant, and share them here for a largely-new audience. The following piece attracted a fair amount of attention: — “Is the Tea Party a ‘Social Justice’ Movement?” — As I made my way on an April morning from Harvard Square to a Tea Party Express rally on the Boston Commons, a quotation and a question wound together in my mind. The quotation is a familiar one from William F. Buckley,... Read more
Philosophical Fragments
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