Author Archives: Dr Snyder

Establishment: What Does It Mean?

  

The media keeps throwing around the word “establishment.” In the almost-immortal words of The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” What is the Republican establishment, and once we have identified it, does it really hate Donald Trump? The problem is that the Republican party is particularly divided right now, and analysts keep insisting on confusing different groups who have different concerns. They insist the “establishment” is trying to… Read more »

Why I Am NeverTrump: An Apologetic

  

Increasingly, I’ve had people ask me, both in person and in writing (via Facebook, primarily), what I will do if faced with a decision between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the general election. That question deserves a sober answer, and I will do my best today to achieve that. What I say won’t convince everyone, but it will be an honest response. In the manner of good writing, as I teach my students, I begin with my thesis: I… Read more »

Lewis: The “Higher” Temptation

  

Reading C. S. Lewis’s Reflections on the Psalms for the first time, I came away with some “reflections” that surely should make us stop and think for a while. For instance, when commenting on what some might call the intemperate language toward enemies found in some of the psalms, Lewis notes that it is probably because the Jews took right and wrong more seriously than others. He did see, however, a danger in having this heightened sense of right and… Read more »

On Being Christian, Principled, Constitutional, & Conservative

  

On this day after Super Tuesday II, I would like to simply review how I believe we should make our voting decisions. If you claim to be a Christian, you ought to seek out a candidate who shares your Christian faith and has the life to back it up. At the very least, you should find someone who respects Christian faith and will promote religious liberty. If you say you are principled, you should examine carefully the principles of those… Read more »

Lewis: Jesus as the Original Origin

  

As avid a reader of C. S. Lewis as I have been throughout my life, some of his lesser-known works escaped me until recently. For instance, after seeing the video Planet Narnia, I was fascinated by the way Lewis incorporated the medieval worldview into the series. I also discovered that he had explained it in The Discarded Image, so I readily obtained that book and burrowed through it (not one to recommend to a new reader since it is one… Read more »

Remembering Nancy Reagan

  

Nancy Reagan passed away Sunday at the age of 94. It’s like the end of an era. The students I teach now were born after Ronald Reagan left office; they have no personal knowledge of him or how he impacted our country. Lacking knowledge of perhaps the greatest president of the twentieth century, they obviously know nothing about his wife either. Nancy Davis was a Hollywood actress in the late 1940s who was falsely accused of being a communist, her… Read more »

C. S. Lewis: Impact on Americans (Part 7)

  

This will be my final installment detailing the results of the Wade Center survey I conducted to find out how C. S. Lewis has influenced Americans of our generation. My previous post dealt with whatever further comments respondents wanted to make. Here are the rest of those for your edification. Perhaps you may identify with the sentiments expressed. Beyond the purely intellectual appeal, Lewis and his writings also have impacted the emotions and encouraged Christians in their various struggles. “I… Read more »