Idols

From the introduction to Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller:

The living God, who revealed himself both at Mount Sinai and on the Cross, is the only Lord who, if you find him, can truly fulfill you, and, if you fail him, can truly forgive you.

Goldberg on "Third Way" Politics

The "middle way" sounds moderate and un-radical. Its appeal is that it sounds unideological and freethinking. But philosophically the Third Way is not mere difference splitting; it is utopian and authoritarian. Its utopian aspect becomes manifect in its antagonism to the idea that politics is about trade-offs. The Third Wayer says that there are no false choices-"I refuse to accept that X should come at the expense of Y." The Third Way holds that we can have capitalism and socialism, individual liberty and absolute unity. Fascist movements are implicitly utopian because they-like communist and heretical Christian movements-assume that with just the right arrangement of policies, all contradictions can be rectified. This is a political siren song: life can never be made perfect, because man is imperfect. This is why the Third Way is also authoritarian. It assumes that the right man-or, in the case of Leninists, the right party-can resolve all of these contradictions through sheer will. The populist demagogue takes on the role of the parent telling the childlike masses that he can make everything "all better" if they just trust him.

Page 130 from Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg.

Carson on Biblical Theology

I have heard the term thrown around a lot and often have been left scratching my head. This explanation clarifys why:

"Biblical theology" has become a highly disputed expression. Some use it to refer to the theology of individual biblical books or corpora (e.g., the theology of Matthew, the theology of Paul). Others use it to refer to the theology of the Bible when the Bible is studied diachronically, over against systematic theology, which tends to be organized topically, synchronically. As subsets of this latter category, there are two further refinements. When some hear the expression "biblical thology," they think of how various themes can be traced right through the Bible, or through large parts of it...Others reflect on what I have called "the great turning points in redemptive history.

~D. A. Carson's Christ and Culture Revisited

Summer Happenings

Books read: Pride and Prejudice

Currently Reading: Calvin's Institutes, Liberal Fascism - Jonah Goldberg, Christ and Culture Revisited - D.A. Carson, History of the English Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchill, When Helping Hurts - Steve Corbett - Brian Fikkert, God-Centered Biblical Interpretation - Vern Poythress, and a plethora of baby books.

Home Projects: Installed Shower, Built Sandbox, Covered Outdoor Stairs, Painted Room, moved plants,

Trips Traveled: Iowa, Northern Minnesota

Weddings Attended: Sioux Center IA x2, Orange City IA, Coon Rapids MN

Education: Rosetta Stone for Espanol

Numer of Times Sailing with Jeremy: zero (I am 0 for 2)

Outings: Como Zoo, Renaissance Festival

How Republicans Can Build a Big-Tent Party
As much as I don't like to admit it, conservatives need moderates in the Republican party. However, moderates need to actually follow through on the principles that unite us. If they don't, the whole lot gets labeled as hypocritical. Another reason it's smart to make freedom/smaller government the thrust of the party is this pole. (H.T. http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/) Regardless of who runs for president this next time (conservitive or moderate), Republicans need someone who can eloquently and convincingly explain the conservative values that unite the party (unlike McCain) and then convince their own party to follow those values.

On Small Talk

Catherine Blyth in The Art of Conversation writes,

"The honor of small talk lies in paying others the compliment that their worth talking to, the power in sparking the everyday magic of intimacy."

Old Books

While reading "Reading Between the Lines", I was reminded of Lewis's advice that one out of every four books should be outside of your own time, and since you cannot read future books, you should read ones from the past. My last few books have been from within my time. Currently I am working on Doing Our Own Thing by John McWhorter, Reading Between the Lines by Gene Edward Veith Jr. I have recently read, Culture Making by Andy Crouch, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by John McWhorter To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas, Assumptions that Affect our Lives by Christian Overman. I think it is time for an older book. While I really want to read Dickens or Dostoevsky, I am leaning toward Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin and it is time for me to read Calvin's Institutes.

Gold Investment

If gold is such a good investment right now, what idiot is selling their gold to all these new people? Can you say B-u-b-b-l-e ?

Expelled: Again

In World Magazine's Human Race section, they report that Ben Stein

withdrew as the University of Vermont's spring commencement speaker after the school received a flood of complaints, including one from evolutionist Richard Dawkins.

Curiously, Stein's main point in "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" was that proponents of Intelligent Design are kicked out of the establishment and marginalized for their views rather than debated in the marketplace of ideas, which is exactly what happened here. He may have spoken on economics, but the dissenters insisted on proving his point.

Economy

I don't think it should be about stimulus so much as about value creation.

Questions for Cultural Artifacts

I have started to read "Culture Making" by Andy Crouch. In the first chapter he mentions five questions to be asked about cultural artifacts that I find to be a revealing and worthy excercise.

1. What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world is.
2. What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world should be?
3. What does this crultural artifact make possible?
4. What does this cultural artifact make impossible (or at least very difficult)?
5. What new forms of culture are created in response to this artifact?