In my study of C. S. Lewis while preparing my new book about his influence on Americans, I was constantly confronted with the opposite of what I had been told about him with regard to his views on politics and government. Lewis didn’t like the subject, I was told. Yet he mentioned it rather frequently in his letters to Americans. Then, as I re-read a lot of his essays, I again was surprised by how often he commented on the… Read more »
Good words and phrases sometimes get hijacked. I think “social justice” is one of those. Justice is synonymous with righteousness; the concept comes straight from the heart of God. Justice in social relations, justice in society at large, should be what we all aim for. What, though, qualifies as justice in a society? Here are my ideas. First, social justice should mean we recognize the inherent image of God in each person and treat one another accordingly. It should begin… Read more »
Radicalism on university campuses has changed somewhat since the 1960s. Back then, the radicals were fighting against what they perceived were conservative administrations and professors, and their protests often turned violent. What they didn’t really understand is that most of those administrations and faculty members weren’t philosophical conservatives at all. Liberalism was dominant in the academic realm. It’s just that liberals at that time still professed a belief in honest debate over ideas. Today, it’s those who were protesting in… Read more »
C. S. Lewis always claimed not to be interested in politics. To be sure, it was not a primary interest. Yet he often engaged in commentary and/or questions with his American correspondents over the state of American politics and government. As the 1952 presidential election approached, Lewis turned to Vera Gebbert for her opinion on what was transpiring, asking her if even Americans really understood what was happening on their political scene. He told her about another American correspondent who… Read more »
I’m going to begin this blog today with what some might consider an audacious comparison, but I hope you won’t misunderstand. In the current political climate, I find myself feeling kind of like how the apostle Paul must have felt when his apostleship was questioned. He had to provide a list of his bona fides to the Corinthians to show that he was the genuine article. That is strange to Christians today because we take Paul’s word as authoritative. Yet… Read more »
Post-debate commentary continues unabated. As expected, all those immediate online polls showed a triumphant Trump. Never mind that they are all manufactured by the trolls who planned to overwhelm them regardless of how their candidate actually fared during the debate. Trump likes to tout those polls as genuine. Does he recall (well, I’m probably asking too much of him there) how Ron Paul always “won” those online polls after primary debates? If he doesn’t recall, perhaps he can ask President… Read more »
I did it. I forced myself to watch the debate last night. Well, I’m not sure debate is the proper term for what I witnessed, but I’ll go with the conventional term for now. I will now begin my exercise in futility by offering my take on what happened. Why call it an exercise in futility? Because probably no one’s mind will be changed by what I say today. Minds were made up prior to the debate. No matter what,… Read more »