Building on the previous post, this reflection focuses on the practical implication for America’s 250th anniversary. The founders repeatedly emphasized that a free republic cannot survive without a virtuous and self-governing people. This was not generic moralism. It was rooted in a deeply biblical conviction: because every person is made
The Divided States of America desperately needs people who will speak the truth in love. Francis Schaeffer spoke prophetically almost a half century ago about the worldview struggle and division we are experiencing in the US. These two [Christian vs. naturalistic] worldviews stand as totals in complete antithesis to each
A call to build education around God’s Word, Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash “‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, ‘It means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.’” (Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll) One of the distinctives
Self-control —more accurately, the utter lack of self-control—was featured in Scott Allen’s recent post, “The Tyranny of Feelings.” Scott pointed his readers to the story and video of the so-called “Shrieking Girl.” That’s a recently acquired moniker for a Yale student who screamed vulgarities at an esteemed (by others, anyway) professor.
At one time, in the West, virtue (moral goodness) was valued for its own sake. Sadly, that clarity has faded. Now, we practice, not virtue so much as “virtue signalling”: the conspicuous display of a politically correct position so as to reassure your in-crowd of your bona fides. It’s more
Our tour of virtues has taken us to meekness and then repentance. In this post we come to hope. Some people may be surprised to see hope included in a list of virtues. We often consider a person’s level of hope to be a dimension of personality. Some people are
Life brings its own rewards We have been examining Paul’s discussion on worldview in Romans 1. We have seen the shifting of paradigms from the Judeo-Christian worldview to either pagan humanism or pagan animism. Because ideas have consequences, a shift in worldview inevitably leads to a shift in values and
Whence the power of a young woman over a young man? For the answer we must turn to Genesis. This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (Genesis 2:23 ESV). This is the
God delivered Israel from Egypt and began transforming a community of slaves into a free nation that modeled godly virtue. That process included repeatedly testing them: The LORD made a decree and … tested them. (Exo 15:25 NIV) I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. (Exo 16:4
James Davidson Hunter, the William R. Kenan Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, has written a profound book that helps us understand the impact of language on moral development. In his book, The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age without Good or Evil,
Listen to Darrow and Friends on the Ideas Have Consequences Podcast!
