Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
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
The vast majority of Christians (and nonChristians) today would agree that racism is immoral. So, to some, there might seem to be little point in making a theological case for the immorality of racism. However, as much as we might like to think otherwise, there are some Christians today who hold racist attitudes. Additionally, the … Read more
Abortion is the deliberate killing of a preborn human being. From earliest times, and with remarkable consistency, the Church has condemned abortion as unjust and immoral. According to the Christian Tradition, abortion is murder. Recently, however, some modern Western Christians have departed from the consensus of the Christian Tradition on this issue and have condoned … Read more
A Right to Self-Defense? Most people in our culture would say that killing an assailant in self-defense is the most obviously justified form of violence. Obviously, we have a “right” to defend ourselves, don’t we? If an evildoer is trying to kill us, then it seems like we have no choice but to kill them … Read more
Previously on this blog, I have made the case for Christian pacifism, critiqued Christian just war theory, and responded to the most common objections to Christian pacifism. One might assume that adopting an antiwar, pacifist stance necessarily entails being opposed to the death penalty. However, this is not necessarily the case, since there are some … Read more