A Christmastide Collect

December 24, 2007 • by Jordan J. Ballor

A Christmastide Collect

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December 21, 2007

Books of Interest: Georgetown UP & WJK

Today’s post will look at the Georgetown University Press Religion & Ethics catalog and the Westminster John Knox Academic Update (series index): Titles from Georgetown University Press: Matthew S. Holland, Bonds of Affection: Civic Charity and the Making of America–Winthrop, Jefferson, and Lincoln (November 2007). Continue Reading...
December 21, 2007

A Christmas Consumerism Criticism

Ramsey Wilson provides a thoughtful and valuable post on my previous entry on Christmas consumerism. Upon reflection, Wilson provides an important insight that makes explicit what was perhaps only implicit in my previous post. Continue Reading...
December 20, 2007

Romney and the Racism Charge

One element that came out in the aftermath of “Romney’s religion speech,” an event highly touted in the run-up and in days following, was the charge that Mormonism is essentially a racist faith (or at least was until 1978), and that in unabashedly embracing the “faith of his fathers” so publicly (and uncritically), Mitt Romney did not distance himself from or express enough of a critical attitude toward the official LDS policy regarding membership by blacks before 1978. Continue Reading...
December 19, 2007

Another Christmas Ad: Don’t Forget Universal Pre-K

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is spreading the Christmas cheer by posing as Santa Claus and handing out government programs to the taxpayer. Also, it looks like she is promising to deliver on the promised middle class tax cuts from the first Clinton administration. Continue Reading...
December 19, 2007

Hoosier Eugenics: A Horrible Centennial

I’m really proud of this essay. The history is very interesting; the philosophical and religious links are provocative; and the contemporary applications are important and wide-ranging. Enjoy! eric We observed a dubious centennial this year. Continue Reading...
December 19, 2007

‘Fascism Carrying a Cross’

The Drudge Report yesterday featured a screen shot of a new television ad that’s playing currently in Iowa for presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Next to the image was this quote from primary opponent Ron Paul: “When fascism comes it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.” Continue Reading...
December 18, 2007

The Price of Freedom is $21.3 Million

The price of freedom is $21.3 million, at least in a manner of speaking. The only domestically-held copy of the Magna Carta, first penned in 1215 (this copy dates from 1297), was sold tonight in a Sotheby’s auction for that princely sum to David Rubenstein of The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm. Continue Reading...
December 17, 2007

Weigel on Jihad

The extraordinarily prolific George Weigel has another book out: Faith, Reason, and the War Against Jihadism. Weigel’s books are without fail thought-provoking and clearly stated, though the force, clarity, and breadth of his thought will likely result in at least one or two points of disagreement with any reader. Continue Reading...