Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 421
March 22, 2013
Morality and economics
Economist Steven Pearlstein has published an article in the Washington Post entitled “Is capitalism moral?“ It’s balanced and nuanced, giving the views of both conservative apologists for capitalism and its liberal critics. I’ll give you a sampling after the jump and then raise some additional issues of my own. From Steven Pearlstein: Free-market advocates have [...]
March 21, 2013
Evangelical conservatives vs. Liturgical conservatives
Thomas Holgrave says that the old distinctions among conservative Christians have faded and that the new divide–evident among both Protestants and Catholics–is between what he calls “evangelical conservatives,” who are strong on doctrine, and “liturgical conservatives,” who seek a richer mode of worship. He calls for an approach that would bring these two together. There [...]
LBJ tapes show Nixon’s treason?
You know about how Nixon taped everything that went on in the White House, a bit of historical preservation that blew up in his face with the Watergate scandal. Well, it was his predecessor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who first wired the Oval Office. Now the LBJ tapes are coming out, and they have some explosive [...]
Lars Walker on Christian Fantasy
Friends, you simply must read the essay that friend-of-this-blog Lars Walker has written on Christian fantasy for The Intercollegiate Review (edited by another friend-of-this-blog Anthony Sacramone). It’s beyond excellent in its account of what fantasy is, what it does, and what’s involved in writing a good one. It defies summary, so I’ll just give you [...]
March 20, 2013
58% of Americans want gay marriage
A large and growing majority of Americans–58%–now support gay marriage, according to a new poll. What are we to make of that? Where does that leave conservative Christians who believe that marriage is not just a social construction that can be changed at will? Are they (we) destined to be on the margins of society? [...]
The mystery of the stolen masterpieces
Twenty-three years ago, thieves dressed like police officers robbed the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Boston, taking 13 masterpieces of the world’s art. One of them is one of my favorite paintings: Rembrandt’s “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.” (I love the turmoil and struggle of the disciples who are looking away from Jesus [...]
The new isolationism
The Obama administration is throwing America’s weight around less and less on the world scene, and many conservatives are saying that America should just mind its own business and avoid, as George Washington recommended, “foreign entanglements.” Is this revival of isolationism a good thing? Consider Michael Gerson’s worries after the jump and see if you [...]
March 19, 2013
Satan’s ordinary attacks
We often think of the Christian life in terms of spectacular events and experiences, but vocation teaches us that Christianity is to be lived in the most ordinary spheres of life. By the same token, Satan also tries to attack us in those ordinary spheres of life. Pastor Matt Richard draws on John Kleinig’s spiritual [...]
The Bible TV show
The Bible on the History Channel is a smash hit, even though most critics hate it. The mini-series reportedly takes a reverent stance towards its source material. I have not seen it. Have you? How is it? (After the jump, a critic of the Hollywood scene discusses the show.)From Daniel Wattenberg: Sure, it’s easy to [...]
Civil war within the Republican party?
The John McCain wing of the Republican party and the Rand Paul wing of the Republican party have been attacking each other over military policy and who is to blame for losing the presidential election. Now at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week, the so-called establishment Republicans and the so-called tea-party Republicans ridiculed [...]
