Ross Douthat's idea to ban porn is entirely sensible: In this weekend’s New York Times Magazine there is a long profile of a new kind of pedagogy unique to our particular stage of civilization. It’s called “porn literacy,” and it involves explaining to young people whose sexual coming-of-age is being mediated by watching online gangbangs that actually …
Is Going to a Canadian Style Immigration System That Bad?
While most Americans were bracing themselves for Donald Trump's first State of the Union Address (which turned out reasonably,) I got myself into a Facebook argument with the most bilious person I know about immigration policy. During that dialogue I stated my preference for a Canadian (the Aussies use a similar system) immigration system which …
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The Real Problem with Prosperity Teaching Isn’t Theological (Well, not entirely…)
There's a well-known Anglican "divine" (to use the old term) in this country who's engaged in a Facebook campaign/rant (take your pick) about African faith declarations and the popularity of prosperity teaching. It's gone on for some time, and the fact that he's Reformed only adds to the persistence. (Maybe he's also trying to prove …
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My Response to Twitter’s Paranoia About the Russians
Yesterday I received the following in my inbox from Twitter: As part of our recent work to understand Russian-linked activities on Twitter during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we identified and suspended a number of accounts that were potentially connected to a propaganda effort by a Russian government-linked organization known as the Internet Research Agency. …
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Chelsea Manning, the Perfect Democrat
Buried in all the other excitement this week was the announcement that Chelsea Manning, the transgendered Wikileaker, is running for the Senate in Maryland as a Democrat. This announcement has gotten a great deal of adverse press from the right, but I think we need to stop and look at this in more detail. First, …
Drift, Like Real Estate, Is All About Location
It's almost like the Illinois Family Association overlooked the most important detail in their lament over the course of at least one Evangelical Covenant Church: There’s something rotten in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). It’s rotting from the inside due to the presence of wolves in sheep’s clothing like Peter Hawkinson, pastor of Winnetka Covenant …
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Ah, for the Days of Wine and Imperialism
The left is getting nostalgic: The American empire is crumbling. What President Trump is destroying is a product of the postwar years. In the years after the Second World War, America constructed what amounted to a globe-spanning empire, with the active assistance of Western Europe. The immediate justification was to build a military coalition capable …
Does Anyone Really Believe This Current System is Permanent?
One of side "benefits" of being in the Anglican/Episcopal blogosphere is to get to know "Anglicans Unscripted," the video interview series hosted by Kevin Kallsen, with frequent contribution by fellow Palm Beacher George Conger. In a recent episode with Kallsen and the Queen's former chaplain Gavin Ashenden, they discussed a float in Justin Welby's parade …
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If You're Goal is to Eliminate the Bad People in Power, What Happens When You Succeed?
An interesting observation from Jonathan Haidt about what college students are being indoctrinated in these days: But what do we do now? Many students are given just one lens—power. Here’s your lens, kid. Look at everything through this lens. Everything is about power. Every situation is analyzed in terms of the bad people acting to …
Bolshevik Revolution: Ten Days That Shook the World Still Shake
This week we remember the Bolshevik Revolution. I'd have to say that the "ten days that shook the world" (to use John Reed's phrase) have certainly shaken my life. But it was the back end of that revolution--the collapse of the Soviet Union and its aftermath--where things really got interesting for me, and the world …
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Positive Infinity 