Category: Christians & Culture

Commentary, from a Biblical perspective, on current events that are primarily cultural. There may be some overlap with politics and government, but the emphasis is on broader societal developments apart from politics, which also includes analysis of specific individuals.

American Character: Noah Webster

  

The name “Webster” sounds familiar to most people. They think for a minute and then say, “Oh, yeah, he’s the dictionary guy, right?” Right. But he’s more than that. Noah Webster is a prime example of someone who exhibits the character trait of diligence. A native of Connecticut and descendant of Pilgrim governor William Bradford, Webster was raised in the Congregational church, graduated from Yale, and even was awarded a master’s degree—unusual for the time. In 1783, he got the nation’s… Read more »

Abortion: Calling Evil Good

  

The state of New York, long established as one of the most liberal in the nation, has now, in its progressive wisdom, decided that abortion is not only a right, but one that can be carried out up to the point of a baby’s delivery. One second, you have a living, vibrant child ready to come out of the womb to enter this world of woe; in the next second, you have a dead baby, killed by an abortionist (who… Read more »

The Cultural Shift & the Christian Response

  

When we lived in the northern Virginia suburbs in the 1980s, we sent our children to Christian schools because we wanted an environment for them that supported our beliefs. Training up a child in the way he/she should go is a requirement for Christian parents. One of the schools we entrusted with our children for a few years was Immanuel Christian School. While no Christian school is perfect (indeed, can we find a perfect anything in this world?), we were… Read more »

The Media’s Not-So-Good, Really Bad, Horrible Week

  

Rarely does the mainstream media self-destruct as demonstrably as it has this past week. There are so many examples, I hope I can contain them all in this one post without wearing you out reading it. Let’s begin with the annual avoidance of the largest mass movement in the nation–the pro-life community. As it does every year, the news media practically ignores the thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children who descend upon Washington in the cold of January,… Read more »

Questions Worth Asking

  

“It would not perhaps be altogether surprising if, in this nominally Christian country, where the Creeds are daily recited, there were a number of people who knew all about Christian doctrine and disliked it,” wrote Dorothy Sayers. She concluded that thought with this: “It is more startling to discover how many people there are who heartily dislike and despise Christianity without having the faintest notion what it is.” That statement comes from her essay, “The Dogma Is the Drama,” and… Read more »

Religion & the Presidents

  

A couple of years ago, I had an idea for a new course that would examine the religious beliefs of the presidents. The course would also attempt to determine how those beliefs may have influenced the policies each president followed. That proposed course will now be reality this semester as I teach, for the first time, “Religion and the Presidents.” It will be a little different in structure than my other courses. First, no exams—how does one adequately “test” students… Read more »

Lewis & America: A Conclusion

  

Yesterday was the final class for my C. S. Lewis course at SEU. This is the third time I’ve taught the course, and probably the best, as I’ve grown more comfortable sharing what I’ve learned about Lewis and his writings. The students read a lot of Lewis, from autobiography to apologetics to fantasy. Some have testified that taking the course at this time was a great help to their faith, as they were struggling in different ways. That kind of… Read more »