Aug 24Do We Trust A Jury?An impassable and unnerving contradiction arose last night in the Republican Presidential Debate. When asked if they would support Donald Trump as the candidate for President even if he was convicted for the crimes for which he is currently indicted, all of them said yes except Asa Hutchinson and Chris…Trump6 min readTrump6 min read
Jul 14Be. A. (Dead). Man.Christine Emba’s article on masculinity making the rounds left and right has been hailed as the most important of 2023. Emba identifies three historical essentials of masculinity that need to be incorporated into any new vision whatever it means to be a man: protector, provider, procreator. Of course many on…Manhood8 min readManhood8 min read
Jun 6Nightshade AllergiesI hate blogs about factual stuff (recipes, allergies, etc) with long personal stories as introductions, so my story will be at the end. Here’s the info first: What Is it? A “devilishly complex” sensitivity to foods made with nightshades that is poorly studied and poorly understood. …Nightshades5 min readNightshades5 min read
May 30Nostalgia is Part of Our PainSouth of Raleigh about 45 minutes is a place of considerable importance almost totally lost to history. The Cumnock / Egypt mine provided coal for the smelters that shaped the bullets of the civil War. It was easily accessible cold that could be used locally or floated down the nearby…Nostalgia8 min readNostalgia8 min read
Mar 17The White Liberal FenceShe smoked angrily, like she thought she’d seen too much of the world already at the ripe old age of 19. She wanted me to know she smoked, I guessed, because she could’ve smoked anywhere else, anytime else then as we sat down to talk. And she talked fast, intensely…Woke11 min readWoke11 min read
Dec 7, 2022The Nazi TheologyThe Godwin Temptation is real, and not everything pertains to Nazis. When it comes to the latest iteration of Christian Nationalism, however, the Nazi comparison applies. Why? Not because of the Kinist tendencies of the people floating around the movement. …Nazis28 min readNazis28 min read
Nov 22, 2022“Spiritual” Marriage vs. The Marriage PenaltyI wrote this paper as we wrestled with a couple of specific situations in my church. I figured it was salient given the current discussions around marriage. Two situations in the church have caused more consideration of this issue which I had never considered before becoming Pastor at FACWS! The…Marriage13 min readMarriage13 min read
Sep 3, 2022A Brief Defense of Liberal DemocracyAnd an even briefer indictment it as a guiding personal philosophy. First, note the definitions that will be used in this essay: LIBERALISM — a political philosophy centered around freedoms — personal, familial, congregational — and ensuring the government protects those freedoms. This is NOT what might be called liberalism…Liberalism12 min readLiberalism12 min read
Aug 11, 2022V Marks of Nationalist ConservativismHazony’s Conservativism: A Rediscovery (sort-of) reviewed Before we go anywhere with Yoram Hazony’s Conservativism: A Rediscovery, we have to mark from the outset that what Hazony calls conservativism is nothing like what might pop in your mind as political conservativism. …Conservatives20 min readConservatives20 min read
Jul 26, 2022Fearing Death4th in a Series on Fear. See: Fearing Failure, Religious Nostrums, and Viral Fear A young girl would appear in my backyard from time to time playing with the neighborhood kids when my girls were preschool-aged and encountering so much of the world for the first time. Raven-haired and lithe…Death22 min readDeath22 min read
