Joseph Loconte
As British journalist Daniel Johnson sees it, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have revealed, and instigated, a raft of “moral cowardice and intellectual confusion on both sides of the Atlantic.” Johnson, with some help from the London-based Social Affairs Unit, is hurling himself into the breach. He has just launched a new monthly magazine called Standpoint, whose mission is to “invoke the noblest ideals to which humanity has aspired.” I was in London last week for the magazine’s launch event, held at Hertford House, with its dazzling Wallace Collection of 25 galleries of French 18th century painting, furniture, and other items. The overflow event in central London attracted writers, scholars and politicians of various hues.
In his introductory essay for the magazine, Johnson identifies a few of the ideals he and his colleagues intend to defend: the dignity of the individual and the family; the freedom to worship and to refrain from worship; scientific inquiry limited only by respect for life; parliamentary democracy and the free market; and toleration of minority views and practices, but not at the price of moral relativism. “To defend and celebrate Western civilization is not merely desirable; it is imperative,” he writes. “We take for granted the values and achievements of this civilization, but it is dangerous to assume either that these values are indeed universally shared, or that our achievements cannot be turned against us.”
Dangerous indeed. If the premier issue of Standpoint is any suggestion, the forces of cowardice and confusion will have to contend with a new voice of conviction and moral clarity—and not a moment too soon.
Fodder, Arts and Culture, Society, Mon 02 Jun 2008
Any critic is entitled to wrong judgments, of course. But certain lapses of judgment indicate the radical failure of an entire sensibility.
Susan Sontag
A bundle of all six narrated Trinity Forum Readings on CD at a discounted price.
The Institutionalization of Greed
John Piper explains Why Calvinists are so Negative: This, with the item below from Frederica, offer two timely perspectives on appropriate humility—which could also be approached with profit from the perspective of strategy. “I must tell you that whenever I have had a profound experience of God through reading his word or encountering God in worship or community, it tends to just humble me, and make me want to say something like what Joni Mitchell said about love—‘it’s love’s illusions I recall; I really don’t know love, at all.’ I have barely touched the hem of the Master’s garment, I hardly know him though I long to know him better. In the face of the divine-human encounter, even Barth’s Dogmatics appear to be little more than a good start to understanding God.” (New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III • 2008 11 19)
Confessions of an Obnoxious Orthodox: Salutary. “Most people like to be polite and get along, so they highlight our commonalities. But every church must have its distinctiveness, or we’d all be in the same church. At the time, I was so occupied with comprehending this strange thing called Orthodoxy that I emphasized the differences, and was impatient with kindly big-tent suggestions.” (Frederica Mathewes-Green, Beliefnet • 2008 11 19)
Finding Home: A worthwhile meditation on place: “My parents have moved a lot in their lives, and view towns and cities as places to go for opportunities, not places to live for love of the place itself. They still pressure us occasionally to move closer to them. Maybe someday we will; as I said above, I know I would find things to love wherever we lived. But after all the moves of my childhood, I find myself warmly grateful to this city for being a place where I can send my roots down deep, grateful that I have at last found my home.” (Veronica Mitchell, Toddled Dredge • 2008 11 18)
The Obama Dilemma: “Which of these factions in evangelicalism’s divided house is more reflective of its essential character? In truth, both have a strong claim. Evangelicalism has always been centrally concerned with social reform as the necessary expression of spiritual regeneration. It is not merely a religion of inwardness. Nor is it a religion devoted to maintaining the status quo and propping up social elites. Instead, it challenges settled arrangements and champions the lowly and the marginalized.” (Senior Fellow Wilfred M. McClay, The Wall Street Journal • 2008 11 01)
• Stephen Fry in America (2008 10 10)
• Give Me Liberty and Give Me Death (2008 09 30)
• Give Me That Old-Time Religion (2008 09 29)
• The Real Digital Revolution (2008 08 27)
• Après Lewis (2008 08 15)
Jesus: A Layman’s Primer by Alonzo L. McDonald, Foreword by Steve Haas.
Who was, who is, Jesus of Nazareth?
