Refugees, part 2: A “Social Gospel” revival

Whatever is your take on the Good Samaritan (as discussed in part 1), it’s important to remember that the Samaritan doesn’t use a government agency in his aiding of the traveler. He doesn’t use universal healthcare to doctor the wounds. He doesn’t thieve from the innkeeper or compel through legal force that his fellow Samaritans provide continued care for the injured man. The Samaritan …

Refugees, part 1: The Good Samaritan reinterpreted

The past few Sundays, in many Protestant and Catholic churches alike, congregants no doubt have heard their pastor’s or priest’s emotional retelling of the Good Samaritan as it relates to Syrian refugees. So what is this parable about? And what should be the Christian response to Trump’s executive order banning “entry into the U.S. by anyone from seven majority-Muslim countries for …

They’re not bullies, they’re barbarians

Words are important. They’re a vehicle to self-expression, so it’s really not all that surprising that co-opting language and redefining words has long been a tool used by propagandists spanning the globe. From tinpot dictators to imperial oligarchs to homegrown totalitarians, anyone who wants to seize power and dominate people knows they have to control language. The the best way …

Closed ears, closed minds

Last week during a homeschool lesson, my 8-year-old plugged his ears his with his fingers. He was done. He didn’t want to pay attention. He had decided that silence was preferable to useful information. Luckily, we worked through the obstruction, communication reconvened, and the knowledge of how nouns can become adjectives was finally imparted to my …

We celebrate Lee-Jackson Day

Today, our family celebrates Lee-Jackson Day. We celebrate Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s commitment to their country, the South. We celebrate that as successful and revered servicemen in the U.S. military (ranking as colonel and major respectively), they took the narrow path, risking their careers and reputations, and the comfort and security of being …

When your sons smash the misandry

Back in 2000, philosopher Christina Hoff Sommers declared, “It’s a bad time to be a boy in America.” In her book, The War Against Boys, she wrote, “Routinely regarded as protosexists, potential harassers and perpetuators of gender inequity, boys live under a cloud of censure.” Since Sommers penned these prescient words nearly two decades ago, our cultural decay has become even …