Tag: honesty

Presidential Integrity: Grover Cleveland

  

We’ve had 47 presidencies in our history. Some were exceptional, others impactful one way or another, and a few almost entirely forgettable. The presidents after the Civil War up until Theodore Roosevelt, in the minds of probably most Americans, may fall into the “forgettable” category primarily because we truly have forgotten them. We focus on George Washington (as we should for the precedents he set) and Abraham Lincoln shouldering the burdens of a terrible civil war. But some of those… Read more »

The Question of the Dishonest Question

  

“Can’t I lead a good life without believing in Christianity?” That’s the question posed by many people. Is it an honest question or one that simply seeks to avoid truth? C. S. Lewis deals with it in his short, yet insightful, essay, “Man or Rabbit?” It can be found in God in the Dock. Lewis clears away the unhelpful underbrush of the query and reveals the path such a person asking the question is attempting to follow. As he does… Read more »

A New Year of Observations & Analysis

  

I’m settled into my comfy recliner in my study, surrounded by books and enjoying a unique kind of coffee (I won’t go into that). So I’m relaxed and ready to begin another year of observations about God, man, society, and life in general. Most people probably have this particular view of the new year: Am I concerned about all those things? Absolutely. Am I living in daily fear of nuclear holocaust, the undermining of the Republic, or the societal trends?… Read more »

A Line That Should Not Be Crossed

  

Because I take Scripture seriously and consider it God’s direct Word to me for my life, I cannot ignore what I find in 1 Timothy, chapter 2: First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God… Read more »

The Clintons & Character

  

Shouldn’t one’s history matter? What is it about the history of Bill and Hillary Clinton that would give anyone confidence in their character? I know some people will be upset with me for focusing on that. They will say that policies are what matter, not personal character. Well, I have a lot to say about the policies of both, but I won’t back down on the significance of personal character. It was during Bill’s presidency that we heard the constant… Read more »

Sage Advice from C. S. Lewis

  

C. S. Lewis was a professor of literature, not a historian. That doesn’t mean, though, that he didn’t have some sage advice for those in my line of study. For instance, here’s a bit of solid guidance for historians in an essay called “Horrid Red Things,” found in a volume called God in the Dock: A historian who has based his work on the misreading of a document may afterwards (when his mistake has been exposed) exercise great ingenuity in… Read more »

The Redistributionist President

  

Barack Obama was in full socialistic, redistributionist mode yesterday. At a speech before an audience at the “progressive” Center for American Progress, he called income inequality a “defining challenge” for the U.S. Memories of his comments to Joe the Plumber flood the mind. First of all, one must ignore the fact that income inequality has only increased on his watch; so if that’s what he calls a defining challenge, he’s obviously failed at meeting it. For someone like Obama, it… Read more »