Yesterday was the feast of St. Justin Martyr. A famous quote to re-ponder: We have been taught that Christ is the firsborn of God, and we have proclaimed that he is the Logos, in whom every race of people have shared. And those who love according to the Logos are Christians, even though they may have been counted as atheists – such as Socrates and Heraclitus, and others like them, among the Greeks…Whatever either lawyers or philosophers have said well, was articulated... Read more
As one who believes a progressive tax system, and not a flat tax, is what is fair, I find this passage from Theodoret of Cyrus, discussing the sacrificial system in Israel, relevant: Now, because some were affluent while others were living in poverty, he bade the former a calf, lamb, or a goat, the latter two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, and the poorest a little fine flour mixed with oil. As you can see, he required offerings commensurate with... Read more
So, one Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld’s military career stands a good chance of ending, due to him following his conscience and standing against the perversion of justice at Guantanamo prison. Theoretically, the military brass reviewing his record could reward his distinguished service—to which various awards and commendations attest—and bump him up to full-bird colonel. Or, they could derail his military career. Vandeveld has reason to believe the board may attempt the latter—forcing into retirement the officer who, in a July... Read more
I would like to draw your attention to a fascinating and topical essay in the One magazine by Sami El-Yousef, a Christian from Jerusalem. (For those unfamiliar with this little gem of a magazine, One is published by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association). El-Yousef is a Christian (Greek Orthodox) of very ancient stock. He writes lovingly about the Holy Saturday liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As the highlight of the liturgical year, thousands of Christians gather from around the... Read more
[Previous posts: I. Economics and the Political Imagination; II. Economics and the Vocational Imagination; III. Economics and the Educational Imagination; IV. Economics and the Existential Imagination] (PREFACE: In my earlier, political writings contra liberalism I tried to make this argument: that individualism and secularism we find in modern, liberal politics are deeply problematic. At the time, I lumped all of modernity into a single liberal history and, in many ways, I still think this view holds true. What I failed to treat in those writings... Read more
Why does Israel think it can control international waters and prevent humanitarian aid from coming into Gaza? Israel has boarded the “Freedom Flotilla” and killed an indeterminate number of innocent bystanders as they attempted to take control international waters. (If I wanted to engage political rhetoric, I would ask, what does Israel have against freedom, but I know that such questions are naive, because freedom is such an equivocal term). This is going to be a major international incident. Israel... Read more
The Ochlophobist is a convert to Orthodoxy. He isn’t hesitant to criticize the Americanization of Orthodoxy. Here he addresses it with Catholicism, using as his foil Fr. Jay Scott Newman’s piece on Evangelical Catholicism. A brief tease: The religious psychology behind the “personal relationship with the Lord Jesus” is among the most interesting religious phenomena in modernity. The notion of the “personal relationship with the Lord Jesus” asserts an unmediated personal relationship between the believer and Jesus, but as we... Read more
[Previous posts: I. Economics and the Political Imagination; II. Economics and the Vocational Imagination; III. Economics and the Educational Imagination] In previous posts I have described three places where we find a similar—if not the same—inversion of the order between money or capital and the human person: politics, work, and education. If I had been more careful I would have presented these example in a slightly different order (politics, education, then work). Nonetheless, my point is not only that these description are true, but,... Read more
From Rocco, the new coadjutor of Los Angeles, Jose Gomez, received extended applause for delivering the punchline that “”no one is an alien in the eyes of God.” And here are his views in an extended interview: (more…) Read more
It is ironic, isn’t it? Many of the same people who decry governmental interference in the affairs of businesses are complaining that President Obama is not doing enough to fix the BP oil spill. Among them are some of the most activist voices against environmental legislation which would seek to prevent such disasters from happening. The political reasoning behind their complaint should be simple enough; once this crisis is over, they will return to their non-interventionist, non-environmentalist ways. Nonetheless, I... Read more
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