There has been a spate of books recently about ‘Christian nationalism’. I believe that while I am undeniably a ‘social conservative’, and I make no apologies for that, I am not a ‘Christian nationalist’. There is a difference, and I […]
Howard Ahmanson
Book Notice: “Losing the Good Portion,” by Leon Podles
There have been claims throughout the history of Christianity that portions of the Church were excessively feminized. Though author Leon Podles is a Catholic himself, most of the space in his book, Losing the Good Portion: Why Men are Alienated […]
The Gerontocratic Democracy of Old Africa, and Gerontocracy in Our Own Time
Young people have always probably chafed against their elders. But in Africa, a gerontocratic system was instituted, which at least frustrated the development of a hereditary elite. And we are not without elements of gerontocracy in our own society. I […]
Which the Ideology, and Which the Coalition?
The definitions of ‘Republican’ and ‘Democrat’, and even ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’, seem to dance in circles. Even the nature of the parties shifts over time. One is an ideology, the other a coalition, they say. But even that fact tends […]
On the Urbanist Classic, “Crabgrass Frontier,” by Kenneth T. Jackson
One of the classic books on the history of suburbia is Kenneth Jackson’s Crabgrass Frontier. It came out in 1985, two years before my personal favorite, Bourgeois Utopias, by Robert Fishman. This book notice discusses Crabgrass Frontier in view of […]
Why I’m Not Posting Much About the Coronavirus
As we learn more about COVID-19, I think there are political concerns to be considered. The New York Times, Washington Post, and National Interest have pointed out that dictators — and those who would like to be — are in […]
Does the Working Class Think It Can’t ‘Afford’ to Raise Their Children in a Christian Environment Any More?
In recent years we have heard how Christianity, and even Pentecostalism, seem to be losing their grip on the working classes, at least in white American communities. Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, Charles Murray, who wrote Coming Apart, and […]
Catholic ‘Integralism’ Reminds Me of Protestant ‘Reconstructionism’
Ever since Sohrab Ahmari’s attack on ‘David French-ism’ [May 2019] there has been a revival of interest in the blogosphere on the subject of Catholic Integralism. The interesting fact is that thirty years ago I was rather involved in something called […]
Coronavirus and the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755
Many of us are trying to figure out what God is trying to do by allowing this Coronavirus plague to circulate around the world so dramatically. As I thought about this, I was reminded of a passage in Luke’s Gospel […]
Some Thoughts About ‘Identities’
In the classical Christian church we hear much about our identity in Christ. We also have a host of other identities or roles: parent or child in a family; worker in or owner of an organization; a particular church, denomination, […]