Again, none of these effects came by force of law from Obergefell. But they are all of a piece with the New Gnosticism and its inherent coerciveness. We’ll see more of its effects in the near future. We’ll see more parties enlisting courts in the unfolding coercion, by deploying the perfectly tailored concept of dignitary... Continue Reading

“Let me suggest that the slender thread connecting Trump to the church is his occasional holiday appearances at Marble Collegiate Church, made famous by its pastor for 52 years, Norman Vincent Peale. Blending pop-psychology and spirituality, Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking (1952) remained on The New York Times bestsellers list for 186 weeks.”  ... Continue Reading

Confident pluralism assumes either a balance of power or a basic common decency between the various sides in any of the cultural debates. The balance and the decency no longer exist. Nor does it matter that there might be a democratic majority supporting the dissenter in whatever public-square conflict occurs. Power is not a function... Continue Reading

In his brilliant book How Societies Remember, social anthropologist Paul Connerton says that every revolutionary regime has to suppress, even exterminate, the symbol system that keeps the people it wishes to rule bound to old ways of thinking. The forces of revolution have to deprive the ruled of their memories: “All totalitarianisms behave in this... Continue Reading

Panel chairwoman U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., issued a criminal referral to the New Mexico attorney general for the connection between the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Southwestern Women’s Options (SWWO), an abortion provider located one mile from campus. The panel claims to have evidence that SWWO illegally gifted body parts to UNM for... Continue Reading

You can counter the trend of parents rearing kids who grow into insecure, enabled young adults by allowing them to learn and fend for themselves. Life is not a well-manicured lawn. It’s more like a jungle. Teach your kids how to swing that machete and cut their own paths with some guidance — and park... Continue Reading

Abortion “is the single greatest issue of our time, I don’t disagree, but in responding negatively [when he raises the subject of race], it shows they don’t want to think about race and racism,” Thabiti Anyabwile, an African American pastor in Southeast Washington and a council member of the conservative evangelical network the Gospel Coalition, said in an... Continue Reading

“Ironically, there was a time when the U.K. wanted to be part of a grand alliance of European powers but had its request for membership rejected. During the 1960s, the U.K. twice attempted to get membership with the European Economic Community, an earlier incarnation of the EU.”   The world awoke Friday morning to the... Continue Reading

A bit of searching in historical newspapers suggests that these services were fairly common in early national history, although references to them were rare to nonexistent on years when the Fourth of July fell on a Sunday. I would be interested to know if this meant that they did not hold them in those years,... Continue Reading

“The California bill could open the door to lawsuits from students who allege discrimination because they are in same-sex relationships or because they are required to use restrooms, locker rooms and student housing that does not correspond to the gender with which they identify, college officials say.”   Dozens of faith-based colleges in California are objecting to legislation that they... Continue Reading