Category: Politics

by Benjamin Bjorkman

Fourth of July Special

I understand that people across the nation are concerned, and it’s good to lighten the mood in abysmally dark times. So today, in celebration of the Fourth of July tomorrow, I want to highlight the good in America. For obvious reasons, the United States was never mentioned in the Bible, but the United States encompasses a lot of what Israel was intended to be. The nation of Israel was part of God’s covenant with Abraham, that He would make an innumerable nation through his servant, but the excuse presented to Pharaoh for the exodus of the Israelites was “that [God’s … Continue reading “Fourth of July Special” →

by Zachary Shuster

Church and State Part Two: Caesaropapism

This is the second installation in a series of articles in which I present my view of church history with a focus on the relationship between church and state. In my last article, I covered the early church. Today I cover Constantine and caesaropapism. In the next installation, I will cover conflicts between monarchs and popes of the middle ages. As soon as the church gained a foothold into the government through Constantine, its dynamic with the state became much more complicated. While a government could be opposed to the church, the church could still have an important and necessary … Continue reading “Church and State Part Two: Caesaropapism” →

by Morning Walk

Morning Walk Marches for Life (2020)

Many thanks to all who came and to those who supported our trip to the March for Life this year! Here are some pictures from the March for Life in Washington, DC and from the Walk for Life in San Francisco:

by Benjamin Bjorkman

Christianity of the Third Millennium

I can see the merits of Sola Scriptura. I can see why so many people choose to adopt that ideology. Just as Jesus seemingly condensed the law into two rules, so a summary compilation of the tenets of the faith, the Bible, condenses the work of millennia. It’s easier to read, and, in theory, it’s all a Christian needs to learn the faith. I posit, however, that adhering to Sola Scriptura alone can lead to dangerous levels of oversight. In 2020 Anno Domini, poverty is considerably less of an issue than in 20 Anno Domini. Is the means of our … Continue reading “Christianity of the Third Millennium” →

by Benjamin Bjorkman

The Role of Natives and Migrants

Migration is a fairly tricky subject, and arguably uniquely so in our day and age. There have certainly been migration patterns, even involving thousands of people, but economic migration and border-length border control have rarely been so prevalent. With both sides of the aisle slapping the Christian faith on their political perspective, or, rather, slapping their political perspective on the Christian faith, I think that a thorough analysis of immigration would be useful. It’s worth highlighting the difference between the New and Old Testaments. Christianity by design has no nationality, culture, or boundaries. Missionaries travelling across continents are the norm, … Continue reading “The Role of Natives and Migrants” →

by Zachary Shuster

“Of the People…” Not Found in the General Prologue to the Wycliffite Bible

This is a short one, but I thought I’d chime in on something. While browsing around for some information about the General Prologue to the Wycliffite Bible, I stumbled upon this blog post from the Volokh Conspiracy. Basically, there’s a myth going around that the General Prologue to the Wycliffite Bible contains the sentence, “The Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People.” Eugene Volokh, the author of the blog post, noted that this “smacked of myth,” and I am writing to confirm his suggestion. About a year and a half ago, the … Continue reading ““Of the People…” Not Found in the General Prologue to the Wycliffite Bible” →

by Zachary Shuster

In Defense of Direct Dialogue

When groups with differing paradigms come together to engage in direct contact, the resulting clash is horrendous, destructive, charged with emotions. The Proud Boys in Portland, Antifa in Berkeley, an 85-year-old protester beaten up outside a Planned Parenthood in San Francisco, a boy in DC who had the nerve to smile at a Native American with a drum–the list goes on. I’ve seen some myself: an old man mocked and bullied for wearing an NRA hat at a Vons in Santa Monica (how dare he!), a girl kicked by fellow students while studying in a lobby during the 2016 election. … Continue reading “In Defense of Direct Dialogue” →

by Vlad Smetanko

Bad Dichotomies

two_side_Bad_Dichotomy

You have probably heard, on multiple occasions, the distinction between knowledge and wisdom. “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit,” they say, “But wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” This distinction indeed exists, and perhaps even the tomato example is appropriate. But there is still something wrong, and the problem comes down to the takeaway. Most people, when presented with this example, interpret it as knowledge compared to intelligence. In reality, intelligence is no less different from wisdom than it is from knowledge. Intelligence usually refers to the ability to learn and use … Continue reading “Bad Dichotomies” →

by Zachary Shuster

Halakhah and New York’s Recent Abortion Law

A month from its signing, I examine New York’s recent abortion law (the Reproductive Health Act, or RHA) under the lenses of Jewish law (halakhah). The RHA institutes two major changes: 1) it takes abortion out of laws regarding criminal activity, and 2) it allows abortion when “the patient is within twenty-four weeks from the commencement of pregnancy, or there is an absence of fetal viability, or the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health” (page 2, lines 46-49). This means that doctors performing abortions cannot be charged for carrying out unlawful abortions. Moreover, the law narrows … Continue reading “Halakhah and New York’s Recent Abortion Law” →