Politics

A Church-State Solution?

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In the July 3rd edition of the New York Times Magazine, Noah Feldman, professor at NYU School of Law, presents what he proposes is a possible solution to America’s current church-state crisis. “A Church–State Solution” is a compelling article that should be read if not for the background information alone.

Feldman gives a brief history of church-state relations in America, and notes the emergence of two groups in the present-day. The first are what Feldman calls “values evangelicals.” This group is not limited to evangelical Christians and can include Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and anyone else who are interested in “promoting a strong set of ideas about the best way to live your life and urging the government to adopt those values and encourage them whenever possible.”

Feldman labels the next group “legal secularists.” People who follow this line of thinking about church-state relations “see religion as a matter of personal belief and choice largely irrelevant to government.” They are “concerned that values derived from religion will divide us, not unite us.”

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Evil Emerges

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The London bombings are an all-too painful reminder that evil does exist in the world. My prayers go out to God for all Londoners that they might find comfort and security in him. As at least one Islamofacist al-Qaida group has claimed responsibility, and there was no attempt at negotiation on the part of the … Read more

The Jeffersonian Bible, Microsoft Style

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If there’s anything to say about Microsoft, it’s that they’re a team player. The Redman, Washington software giant is teaming up with the communist regime of the People’s Republic of China to offer a blogging service that is safe for commies everywhere: Chinese bloggers using a new Microsoft service to post messages titled “democracy,” “capitalism,” … Read more

Politics and the Prophet

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The pregnancy of Britney Spears and the trial of Michael Jackson notwithstanding, the hottest topic in the news today has to do with the intersection between politics and religion. Following the 2004 U.S. presidential election, the topic has become a “we’ve arrived!” bellwether for many people of faith—and a panic button for many secularists. Evangelicals … Read more

Go Down, Jimmy, Way Down to Cuba–Land

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Jimmy Carter is calling on President Bush to let his people go. The former peanut-farmer and president wants the United States to let all the terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay go free: “The U.S. continues to suffer terrible embarrassment and a blow to our reputation … because of reports concerning abuses of prisoners in Iraq, … Read more

While I Was Out…

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…much happened, but little was more disappointing than the Senate “compromise” on the filibuster nuclear option. I won’t rehash any of the much-appropriate conservative disdain over Senator McCain and other RINO‘s like him, but I do think that the inaction of these milquetoast moderates is just in keeping with the spirit of the age in … Read more

For Once, I Agree With the Democrats

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According to the AP, it seems that the East Waynesville Baptist Church has dismissed nine members because they didn’t support President Bush in the 2005 election. This is, for lack of better words, stupid and wrong. The head of the North Carolina Democratic Party sharply criticized the pastor Friday, saying Chandler jeopardized his church’s tax-free … Read more

The Russian Inquisition

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A story that has been floating beneath the radar which deserves a little more attention is that of an incident in Izhevsk, Russia a couple of weeks ago. Apparently a Pentecostal church was harrased by the local police force: Twenty masked special and plain clothes police raided an evening seminar on 14 April at the … Read more

The Unimpressive Press Redux

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Is it just me, or is the press at White House press conferences becoming increasingly less-than-cerebral with their questioning? Taking their cues from a press conference a year ago, the group on hand last night bordered on the silly at times. While last year’s questions dealt with whether or not President Bush felt sorry (for … Read more