Airing Dirty Laundry: “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill”

Last updated on: January 6, 2025 at 10:50 pm By Anthony Costello

I became an evangelical Christian at the age of 34 while serving in the Army. My conversion took place at a non-denominational church in a southwest suburb of Chicago. It was there that I had a direct experience of Jesus Christ– a true religious experience. That was March of 2010. Shortly thereafter, I became aware of “Evangelical” Christianity. Growing up Roman Catholic on the south-side of Chicago, I knew of Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians. I was at least familiar... Read more

As The “Nuclear” Family Goes, So Goes God?

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:38 pm By Anthony Costello

Let’s compare two contemporary views on the nature of the family. The first is that of the late Pope, John Paul II. JP II was a much beloved religious leader in his day–admired by friend and foe alike. Here is what he had to say on the family in 1981: The institution of marriage is not an undue interference by society or authority, nor the extrinsic imposition of a form. Rather it is an interior requirement of the covenant of... Read more

Living in An “On Demand” World: Instant Gratification and The Perseverance of the Saints

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:37 pm By Anthony Costello

The idea of instant gratification consumes our culture. The main reason for this is relatively easy to identify–rapid technological advancement. Contemporary technologies enable a culture where the emergence of a desire and the ability to fulfill that desire exist almost simultaneously. Furthermore, this is the case with many, if not most, of our desires. As such, when we experience a physical or emotional desire, there is something immediately accessible that can, should we choose, satisfy that desire. Or, at least,... Read more

“His Blood Cries Out From the Ground!”: Climate Change And Moral Corruption

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:35 pm By Anthony Costello

In ancient Hebrew thought, the health of the earth itself was intimately connected to the morality of its inhabitants. The sinfulness or holiness of God’s image bearers, of mankind, related directly to the vitality of the physical land in which they lived. This idea is conveyed most directly, and direly, by the Prophet Isaiah: Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people.... Read more

Some Good (White) People In Africa

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:34 pm By Anthony Costello

In Igbo Jurisprudence: An African Philosophy of Law, Nkuzi Michael Nnam briefly mentions two examples of what one might dare call “white goodness” on the continent of Africa. Interestingly, both occurred not in recent history but in the 19th century–at the height of white supremacy and European colonialism (which are basically the same thing). I highlight these two facts of history for a few reasons: first, to show that human beings, regardless of racial identity, are all wicked. This means that... Read more

Moral Decision Making and The Fear of the Lord: Part 4 – Acts of Seduction

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:32 pm By Anthony Costello

In this series I have looked at some common starting points from which we, as moral agents, often begin our process of moral decision making. I argued that although these starting points are common to us all, they are not good starting points. Nor are they, according to moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, rational starting points. In his book, Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity, MacIntyre suggests that there are, broadly speaking, four irrational starting points to moral deliberation: Participants in deliberation... Read more

Moral Decision Making and The Fear of the Lord: Part 3 – Love of Money

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:30 pm By Anthony Costello

In this series I am looking at some common starting points for making moral decisions. These starting points, in spite of being common, are not good starting points. Rather, they are starting points that themselves are immoral or irrational is some way. Because they are either immoral or irrational, they cannot lead to moral or rational ends. In the previous two posts, I pointed out problems with starting a moral decision making process from a place of fear and from... Read more

Moral Decision Making and The Fear of the Lord: Part 2 – Acts of Fraud

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:29 pm By Anthony Costello

In this series I am arguing that the right starting point for any moral decision is “the fear of the Lord.” The fear of the Lord according to the Hebrew Bible is the beginning of wisdom, or prudential reasoning. Jesus Christ, moreover, is the eternal Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:18-31). To begin our moral decision making process with the fear of the Lord is to begin by considering the nature of God and our relationship to Christ. This is... Read more

Moral Decision Making and The Fear of the LORD: Part 1 – Acts of Fear

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:28 pm By Anthony Costello

In Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity, moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre says this about making moral decisions, Participants in deliberation [about means to attaining goods] must make their decision because of how their practical reasoning went and not from fear or as a result of fraud or because they were bribed or seduced. MacIntyre, 230 MacIntyre’s point is that any morally responsible person, when seeking to pursue an individual or common good, must make their moral decisions not based on fear... Read more

On Not Doing Evil So That Good May Come: The Martyrdom of Franz Jäggerstätter

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 2:27 pm By Anthony Costello

8 und nicht vielmehr also tun, wie wir gelästert werden und wie etliche sprechen, daß wir sagen: “Lasset uns Übles tun, auf das Gutes daraus komme”? welcher Verdammnis ist ganz recht. Romans 3:8, Luther Bible 1545 Malick’s Depiction of Blessed Franz Jäggerstätter Terrence Malick’s latest film, A Hidden Life (2019), tells the story of an obscure Austrian peasant, Franz Jäggerstätter, during World War II. Jäggerstätter, in his refusal to sign the mandatory pledge of loyalty to Adolph Hitler, was found guilty... Read more