Faith | Books | Culture
Alongside the Enlightenment, a mature understanding of the individual emerged. Freedom as a right of the sovereign individual became a pillar to understand how states ought to work. Individuals consented to be governed by a vote.
This basic liberal idea might be captured by John Locke’s affirmation of the individual’s right to life, liberty, and property; or in the USA’s declaration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The story of fear over the past two years cuts in more than one direction: fear of the pandemic and of government overreach.
In both cases, responses unveil a sort of anxious energy which the Gospel itself can and does qualm.
I suppose that’s why I think Gospel centrality makes sense (and it’s biblical). Perfect love, the Spirit abiding in us, means I neither ultimately fear death by the virus nor death of freedom by the government.
[Read more…] about Living in Fear of Virus and of GovernmentThe last few years have shown us how important political thinking is to our way of life. Politics affect everything—whether that means actual policy or simply the newest political topic that spills into social media.
I have found myself in the past as a political outsider, not seeing my own face in conservative nor liberal parties in North America. And yet I assume that I am a conservative. It turns out that by receiving a whole set of traditions, assumptions, and ideas as I did, I was being a conservative.
A number of books have helped me to understand what it means to be Conservative, and they showed me why I often did not see myself or my views within the current political parties in North America. Here are five: [Read more…] about Five Books Conservatives Should Read
When it comes to the question of when we should or should not obey civil authorities, our default must be obedience (Rom 13:1). That said, we live in a complex world in which we also must not do evil. To make sense of this complexity, I propose that we use these four distinctions to guide our moral reasoning for when we should follow the default of obedience and when we might need to disobey an evil requirement.
[Read more…] about A Taxonomy for Civil Obedience And Disobedience
John Piper’s recent explanation for why he chose to write-in his vote rather than choose one of the two main presidential candidates has resulted in a whole host of responses. Some partially seem to misunderstand Piper, while others have expressed well-reasoned counter-arguments.
In today’s politically charged climate, I think we can appreciate the differences of opinions. That said, I am not here interested in defining who Americans should vote for. I am entirely interested in pursuing the question of why Christians have agreed or disagreed with Piper. I think the answer to that question reveals quite a surprising set of undergirding differences.
The responses to John Piper’s article reveal deeper oppositions of:
1. Utilitarian consequentialism and virtue ethics (which one takes priority)
2. Pietism and theonomistic reasoning (of a sort)
3. Metaphysics/real natures and nominalism
In this article, I want to briefly explain what I mean and why it matters. [Read more…] about The Responses to John Piper’s Article Reveal Three Deeper Conflicts than Mere Politics
