Simone de Beauvoir and the Catholic Church

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

Given the opportunity, I would have asked Simone de Beauvoir many questions, the first being: Did you ever stop to consider that your Roman Catholic upbringing might have negatively influenced your reading of Genesis, and other books of the Bible? The second question (depending on her answer to the first): Have you ever made a … Read more

Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement

Subvert book cover

Currently reading: Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement by Sue Ellen Browder. Because there’s always a hidden side of any revolution in thought, or otherwise… From the front: The chains that bind [a woman] in her trap are chains in her own mind and spirit. They are chains made up … Read more

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now

Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now book cover

Before picking up Jaron Lanier’s book, I’d listened to several of his talks on the subject of social media’s ongoing damage to individuals and society. I was quickly convinced that the reasons for his urgency to pull the plug on the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were right on. And while a few months … Read more

Salamanders in My Chambord

Chateau Chambord, detail.

French Rulers: Que Dire ? France is deep into its Fifth Republic. So far, it’s lasted fifty-eight years and eight presidents. Not bad for a country with more than 1,600 different cheeses. But how long will the Fifth Republic last? With the scandals and twists and turns of France’s current presidential race, some are wondering within the country … Read more

Bonhoeffer and the Holier Angel

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer made mistakes, but he understood the value of grace and repentance. When Hitler began to demand allegiance from pastors in Germany, Bonhoeffer fled to the United States. Not long after his arrival, he realized his wrong decision and returned to Germany to participate in efforts to overthrow the evils of Nazism. Six years later, Bonhoeffer was … Read more

The True Opium of the People

Karl Marx called religion the opium of the masses. The belief that Jesus would return again and right all wrongs has helped many Christians throughout the centuries to endure oppression and unjust treatment. Marx thought such beliefs, such illusions about the future to be an impediment to political and economic progress. While people remained high … Read more

Martin Luther King, Jr. On Voting Your Conscience

Most people will not change until they stand to lose something. This is not the Christian ethic. The Christian, just like Jesus, is willing to lose that others might gain. Martin Luther King, Jr. was willing to lose that others might gain. Like his namesake, the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, King took on a powerful system … Read more

Same-Sex Marriage: What’s a Christian to Think and Do?

Same-sex marriage. The three-word combination that was once only a dream for the homosexual community is now a legal reality in the United States. But, what is a Bible-believing Christian to think and/or do about all this? Just “love, love, love,” as the Beatles sang? Yes, love—that’s all we need. It is how God made … Read more