The Best Super Bowl Commercial

There is no cultural event in contemporary life that draws as much cross-demographic interest as the Super Bowl. In a world where the monoculture has largely gone extinct, the Super Bowl remains that one thing where men and women, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, conservative and liberal, the football passionate and...

Why Not Abortion? An Answer to My Teenage Daughter

Yesterday, I was on the road coming back from two weeks at a summer conference for high school students when I got a call from my daughter. She was full of questions and anxiety. Like the rest of us, she had just heard about the SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe. She had already seen students expressing...

The New Civil Religion

Stick with me through this first part. I promise it's going somewhere. In the middle of the 18th century, Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote an important book on political philosophy called The Social Contract which still influences political theory today. Rousseau disagreed with many of the most popular political theories that went before him from...

How Then Should We Live: Models of Christian Engagement of Culture

How should a Christian live his or her life in this world? We rightly assume that our Christian faith is not merely abstract belief. Our faith means something. It has consequences. It weighs upon and informs our decisions, our relationships, and our values. Or at least it should. After we have found the answer to...

What is a Woman?

I teach an introductory philosophy class. Don't tell my other classes, but it is my favorite. Two things that I repeat to my philosophy students are that 1) philosophy is relevant even though it may at times seem abstract or even absurd and 2) if you are going to do philosophy, you might be a...

Is the COVID Vaccine the Mark of the Beast?

Full disclosure. I've received the COVID vaccine. I enthusiastically encourage others to get the vaccine as well. I believe that it is safe and effective. It is a great way to avoid severe COVID or death. I wrote a defense of the vaccine several months ago, and I still stand by these words today. I...

Propaganda

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A show designed specifically for the education of preschoolers had created a "Pride Parade Sing-a-Long" complete with drag queens, transgendered beavers, and lesbian alligators. It was clearly an example of activist indoctrination. The hope, I'm sure, was that very young children (who typically watch these shows without their...

Yes to the Culture War

When I say "Culture War," what comes to mind? I think of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Several years ago I was in Cleveland. Did you know a person is legally required to visit the RRHOF if visiting Cleveland? As you walk into one of the exhibits, you are greeted by a bank...

The Impossibility of Empathy

Amanda Gorman is an extremely accomplished poet. She was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. She published her first book of poetry at the age of 17, and in 2021, she delivered one of her poems at the inauguration of President Biden. At a time when serious poets don't generally become...