Politics & Religion

No New Funding for IRS

Posted by on July 18, 2021 at 6:17 pm

No need to set this up, really. Here is a quote you may have missed from a piece by Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform: “Congress should not increase funding for the IRS. Not $40 billion more, as a ‘bipartisan’ group of senators demands. Not $80 billion more, as Biden and the Democrat […]

‘Lived Experience’ and the Prison of Tribes Thinking

Posted by on July 11, 2021 at 8:29 pm

“To see every interaction as containing hidden violence is to become a permanent victim, because if all you are is a nail, everything looks like a hammer.” — Conor Barnes, former radical Even before the extreme radicalization and push for “social justice”, Critical Race Theory and its kin, etc., of recent years, I observed more […]

A Controversial View on Freedom of Religion

Posted by on April 11, 2021 at 7:29 pm

The issue of “religious rights” and the “free exercise of religion” is a contentious one in the United States. (And elsewhere, of course.) It boils down to “Who is allowed to do what?” and “Who decides?” Naturally, the First and Fourteenth Amendments come up, as does the fan-favorite “separation of church and state”. Incidentally, that […]

The Truth According to Social Justice

Posted by on March 21, 2021 at 8:08 pm

Here is another fascinating citation from Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay (see last week’s post). The symptoms and situations will sound familiar, and the authors provide helpful explanations of the SJ reasoning behind it all. (I hesitate to use the term “reasoning”, because part of the problem is the postmodernist skepticism about […]

The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates

Posted by on February 7, 2021 at 11:45 pm

“Use this sword against my enemies, if I give righteous commands; but if I give unrighteous commands, use it against me.” — Roman Emperor Trajan, speaking to a subordinate In my post a couple weeks back about Romans 13 and civil government, I referred to a book called The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates (2013) […]

Obey God Rather Than Men

Posted by on January 24, 2021 at 7:17 pm

Preface: This article is not a reaction to any specific current event, though it is relevant to the general state of affairs in the U.S. and elsewhere. I have also seen instances recently of people quoting or pointing to Romans 13 in Facebook posts and articles. I would like to present three arguments that the […]

Our Country, Capitol, and Character

Posted by on January 10, 2021 at 8:01 pm

I’m struggling. Struggling with feelings of anger, frustration, appallment, disappointment, fear, sadness, etc., in regards to both our nation (the U.S.) and the invasion of the U.S. Capitol building by mostly-pro-Trump protesters on Jan. 6. (And it was neither an attempted “coup” nor “domestic terrorism”, by the way.) On the other hand, the Bible says […]

Voting Christianly, part 2: With Biblical Principles in Mind

Posted by on November 1, 2020 at 6:19 pm

As with yesterday’s bonus post, today’s post is a citation of recent Facebook comments by Scott Klusendorf, President of Life Training Institute, the formatting of which I have adjusted for readability. “Yesterday, a pastor of a politically diverse congregation asked what he should say to his people about voting. Here is what I sent him… […]

Voting Christianly, part 1: Questions for Evangelicals for Biden

Posted by on October 31, 2020 at 8:39 pm

Tonight’s bonus post is the first of two commentaries from Scott Klusendorf, President of Life Training Institute. Though it is pretty much quoted verbatim, I have taken the liberty of adjusting the formatting a little for readability…. “Here’s what I’ve never understood about evangelicals who endorse Biden: Why is Donald Trump’s character an obstacle to […]

Christians Cannot Ignore Politics in the Culture Wars

Posted by on August 2, 2020 at 8:49 pm

Despite the Judeo-Christian beginnings of the United States of America, there are some Americans these days who want to silence and marginalize Christians. (See my last couple posts.) While claiming to be “tolerant”, many will use bullying tactics to do so. (I suspect I’m not telling you anything new, here.) Yet, some Christians seem to […]