Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 304

Novels every Christian should consider reading

I previously blogged about my contribution–a review of Huckleberry Finn–to a blog series that Justin Taylor is running on “novels every Christian should consider reading.”  I urge you to read the whole series, which includes different Christians’ take on classic novels like Tom Jones, entertaining reads like Patrick O’Brian’s sea sagas, and finds that I, [Read More...]

Obama vows to “destroy” ISIS

President Obama announced that the United States would launch a “relentless” air campaign, co-ordinated with allied forces on the ground (though not including American ground troops) to “destroy” the Islamic State/ISIS/ISIL. From Obama announces ‘broad coalition’ to fight Islamic State extremist group – The Washington Post: President Obama began outlining a sweeping and long-term strategy [Read More...]

Should Christianity try to be “cool”?

Brett McCracken, author of Hipster Christianity,  argues that there are intrinsic contradictions inherent in the various attempts to make Christianity “cool.”  See what he says after the jump, whereupon I offer some thoughts on my own on the efforts to adapt Christianity to one culture or another and offer a modest proposal. From Brett McCracken, [Read More...]

My take on “Huckleberry Finn”

Justin Taylor, the publisher at Crossway and a notable blogger, is running a series on “novels that every Christian should consider reading.”  He asked me to write about the great American novel that is Huckleberry Finn.  Mark Twain fan that I am, I was glad to do so. From Gene Veith: A Novel Every Christian [Read More...]

The mother of all attack ads

I was 12 years old when I watched Lyndon Johnson’s campaign ad that showed a little girl picking daisies followed by the mushroom cloud of a nuclear blast.  Even at the time, I understood the message:  Don’t vote for that extremist Barry Goldwater!  He will start a nuclear war! Yes, the ad, if you thought [Read More...]

“Evil” is back

In our postmodern times, morality is supposed to be relative.  To speak of “good” and “evil” is to be absolutist and retrograde.  But now the atrocities of the Islamic State/ISIS have people recognizing evil once again. From Richard Cohen, The Islamic State is evil returned – The Washington Post: As Hannah Arendt foresaw, we are [Read More...]

The space between the individual and the state

Rep. Paul Ryan (R, Wisconsin), in his new book entitled The Way Forward, discusses “the space between the individual and the state” and says that Progressives keep wanting to fill that space with the government. From George Will’s review, Paul Ryan rethinks the ‘makers’ and ‘takers’ idea – The Washington Post: “Society,” Ryan writes, “functions [Read More...]

Has DNA evidence identified Jack the Ripper?

DNA evidence may have solved the mystery of Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who brutally murdered 11 prostitutes in Victorian England.  A shawl that was reportedly found on the body of one of his victims had blood that has been identified as having come from one of women he killed and semen that has [Read More...]

Matisse’s conversion

Henri Matisse was one of the great artists of the 20th century.  What most people do not know, however–and what exhibitions and art critics tend to ignore–is that Matisse underwent a dramatic and life-changing conversion to Christianity. From Alexander Lee Matisse’s cut-outs were the product of his spiritual rebirth, but you’d never guess it from [Read More...]

Jihadist vs. jihadist

Remember the Badr Brigade, the vicious jihadists that were the bane of our existence in the Iraq War?  Remember Iran, the vicious jihadists that have been the bane of our existence ever since the hostage crisis during the Carter administration?  Well, the Badr Brigade and Iran are both our allies in the struggle against the [Read More...]