When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. – Isaiah… Read More ›
Opinion
Salt of the Earth: A Meditation on the Church and the World
Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow? – Job 6:6 You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its… Read More ›
Is Rod Dreher’s Live Not By Lies a Good Book?
H. David Baer (professor of theology), Alexander Faludy (journalist, church historian), and Joseph Novak (Hungarian Baptist pastor) discuss Ron Dreher’s new book, Live Not By Lies, and consider the questions: How well has Dreher described the experience of East European Christians? Is Dreher right to draw parallels between 20th century communism and American today?
What Does the 2nd Commandment Say About Worship During COVID?
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. — Exodus 20:7 You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by… Read More ›
Secularization Strikes Back: The End of American Religion?
“One striking feature about religious commitment today is how closely it aligns with conservative politics. Religiously committed Americans are very likely to vote Republican. Yet it wasn’t always that way. Alexis de Tocqueville famously attributed the strength of American religion… Read More ›
A Time for Theologians during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Twenty-five years ago when I first started graduate school, I used to enjoy reading First Things, the “journal of religion and public life” founded by Richard John Neuhaus. Neuhaus was a Lutheran “neoconservative” who eventually converted to Catholicism and became… Read More ›
Hungary’s New Church Law is Worse than the First
Hungarian Parliament on December 11, 2018 / source: AP Download a copy of this article here This article was published in, and can be cited as, “Hungary’s New Church Law is Worse than the First,” (2019) Occasional Papers on Religion… Read More ›
Return of the Tyrants
My latest column for The Cresset, about lessons from Aristotle and Plato on current politics. “Democracy today is under siege. It is being replaced in parts of the world with soft authoritarian regimes that preserve but manipulate democratic trappings to… Read More ›
Russia’s Influence on Cultural Conservatives
Here’s my latest piece for The Cresset on how cultural conservatives have lost their moral bearings. “Cold War themes have returned unexpectedly with the renewal of Russian informational warfare. But unlike the Cold War, Russian propaganda today targets those on… Read More ›
Is the Idea of the Centrist Project Realistic?
Evangelizers often run into resistance, and so I’ve noticed not everyone I talk to about the Centrist Project gets excited. “Sorry, but it’s a waste of time. Third parties can’t succeed in America. We’ve got a two party system and… Read More ›
