Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
Jed 
Transgenderism is the phenomenon of people choosing to identify as a gender other than their biological sex. Various controversies about how to respond to this phenomenon have caused transgenderism to become a hot button political, social, and moral issue in contemporary American culture. For example, if a person identifies as transgender, should they be allowed … Read more
Previously on this blog, I have made the case for the importance of virtue ethics. I have argued that it is inadequate to think of ethics solely in terms of following a list of rules, or solely in terms of “the ends justify the means.” Rather, we must think of ethics in terms of developing … Read more
The issue of gender roles has become a hot button issue in contemporary American Christainity. “Egalitarians” argue that there should be essentially no distinction of roles between men and women, while “complementarians” argue that the roles of men and women should differ in certain contexts. This controversy about gender roles centers around two distinct issues: … Read more
According to traditional Christian teaching, divorce is an evil which can be justified, if at all, only in rare circumstances, such as when one’s spouse is guilty of adultery. There was a time in our civilization when this Christian teaching about divorce was dominant. Marriage was understood to be a lifelong commitment, and divorce was … Read more
One of the most significant political and social developments of the last century in America has been the enormous expansion of government aid provided to the poor and needy. Early on in American history, the federal government for the most part restricted its role to what the Constitution explicitly said it could do. However, beginning … Read more
Many modern Western Christians are highly resistant to the idea that there could be such a thing as collective or communal moral responsibility or guilt. How can I, many ask, be morally responsible for something that someone else has done? Such an attitude stems from the individualism of modern Western culture, which deeply affects us … Read more
One of the most significant developments of the modern era has been globalization. Globalization refers to the worldwide process of interaction and integration of governments, nations, people, and companies. This process has economic, political, social, and cultural aspects. Though there were some hints of globalization in the pre-modern world, the creation of new communication and … Read more
In recent years, increasing numbers of Christians have stressed the idea of the liberation of the poor and the marginalized as central to the Christian faith. They have rejected an old, otherworldly theology that focused only on “saving souls” rather than on doing anything to improve this world in the here and now. Instead, they … Read more
Environmentalism means being concerned about the natural world and taking action aimed at protecting it. Human actions have always had some level of impact on the nonhuman world. However, in the modern period, human population and human industry have increased exponentially, causing an exponential increase in human beings’ impact on the natural world. Driven by … Read more
One of the most controversial political issues in American society in recent years has been the issue of immigration: what kind of immigration laws the United States should have and how we should deal with illegal immigrants. Many Christians have publically weighed in on this issue, offering a variety of perspectives and positions about what … Read more