Excitement about the new heir to the British throne reminds Americans of the strength of monarchy. Britons swear allegiance to a human, Americans to a piece of paper. The human being, the Queen, is, some British republicans whine, just a woman, but those some people probably think the flag is just a piece of cloth. One need not even go as far as to say that Elizabeth receives her rule from God, if humans give rule to her then it... Read more
I was recently invited by a friend at Sojourners to host some content from the Evangelical Immigration Table. This has been a contentious issue, and I’ve not taken a side personally. But I would like to have a better conversation amongst evangelicals concerning the reasons they do, or do not, wish to support the kinds of comprehensive immigration reform presently on the table (no pun intended). So in the days to come I’ll be hosting a set of essays on... Read more
I am glad I did not say this: 25Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and... Read more
I have been sad off and on for years. This is a “first world problem” I know, because most do not have the privilege of worrying about their feelings as they struggle to survive. A survivor of the Great Depression in West Virginia rarely had time for depression: work and food were too scarce. Still sad I have been and sad I sometimes remain, only now I am less sad. Talking about sorrow has helped people, so hopefully talking about... Read more
Love is a command and no Christian should hate any human being as a human being. If people were perfect, that would be the end of Christian ethics: love is absolute and we should do to other people what we wish they would do to us. While love remains absolute, broken people, including broken me, require that the liberty to love as I would must be limited. Why? First, my love can disguise selfishness or tyrannical control. “I will love... Read more
Mom and Dad are great parents. It is not Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, but events of the past week have set me to thinking about parents, love, and friendship. One virtue they had: my brother and I knew they would always love us. So long as they had anything, we would have something. They were open to talk, even to disagree. They dialogued about everything and let us read almost anything. As I got older, I made choices that... Read more
I’m grateful for the following guest post from my friend Rolley Haggard of Breakpoint: * The Greater Commission By Rolley Haggard There is no higher calling of God upon the church and the individual believer than to proclaim the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission. Right? Wrong. There is a Greater Commission. It is generally referred to as the Great Commandment, and it has two parts: To love God supremely, and our neighbor as ourself. When Jesus laid down these two... Read more
The SCOTUS rulings handed down yesterday have stirred impassioned responses on all sides. I (and guest posters) will have more to say in this space soon, from differing perspectives. Stay tuned. For today, I am always thrilled to share the thoughts of Peter Wehner, one of the most serious and experienced evangelical policy thinkers around. Check out his bio for more information on Pete, and you can see his other posts at Philosophical Fragments here. * Mike Huckabee’s Crass Misuse... Read more
My friend Rob Schwarzwalder from the Family Research Council offers the following guest post this morning: * Religion, Morality, and Policy: The Danger of Selective Theonomy By Rob Schwarzwalder “Theonomy” is not a word that trips easily off the tongue. It refers to a strain of Christian thinking that demands application of Old Testament civil law to contemporary public life (literally, the term derives from “theos,” Greek for God, and “nomos,” Greek for law). Most Christians believe that we need... Read more
Recently Peter Wehner reflected here on homosexuality, grace, and Christian witness — a matter very much in the news as Alan Chambers of Exodus International recently issued a very public apology for the hurt many gays have experienced at the hands of the church, and announced he is shutting down the ministry. Pete is a friend with an extraordinary wealth of experience in the policy world (info here) and I’m always honored to share this thoughts on this platform. Kevin... Read more
Philosophical Fragments
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