Today is Bernard Lewis’ 100th birthday, quite a milestone for anyone. Lewis is a long-time (and I mean that literally) of Middle Eastern Islam and history and has gained a new hearing since 9/11 with his prescient work. He is currently Emeritus Professor at Princeton. His works are legion but many easily accessible to the […]
Archives
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Happy 100th Birthday Bernard Lewis
31 May 2016
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Well, has it come to this or am I reading something from The Onion? I did verify its truth. If you look here (http://theweek.com/speedreads/626361/oberlin-students-want-abolish-midterms-grades-below-c, it seems that at least 1,300 students at Oberlin College are demanding that no grade below a C be given and that mid-term examination be eliminated. Why? So the students will […]
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Podcast. Podcast? Podcast!
24 May 2016
Seemingly forever ago, Dr. Clauson and I sat down to record a podcast. This is it. Does it sound as if produced by amateurs? Why yes, yes it does. Appropriate, I think, given that I am the technological guru of the group–which shows the extraordinarily low bar I managed to clear to be designated as […]
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its getting serious. News reports continue daily on the deteriorating state of dysfunctionality called government in Venezuela. Not only is food shortage a significant problem for many, but basic protection and law and order functions are missing in action. This is leading to vigilante justice, with some suspected criminals being burned alive on the […]
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Some News of the Day/Week
19 May 2016
The following is just a little briefing that focuses our attention on some important recent issues (or at least what I think is interesting): Full disclosure: I am not a prolific user of social media, and I sometimes look down (secretly) on those who are—maybe I am really just jealous and I certainly am technologically […]
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The Conservative Soul for a Supreme Court Seat?
19 May 2016
“Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world . . . But for Wales!” Thomas More, Act 2, A Man for All Seasons Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidency, yesterday released a list of Supreme Court prospects that might fill Antonin Scalia’s vacated seat. The […]
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Three Cheers for the Liberal Arts
13 May 2016
What do we mean by the term “liberal arts”? By a “liberal arts college” or a “commitment to the liberal arts”? The definition is important, but even more important is why we should care that a college has a commitment (at the least) to the liberal arts? Moreover, what is the difference between simply liberal […]
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Religious liberty is seemingly coming under greater attack, either culturally or legally. As of now, a good many of the instances of this attack are represented in opposition to Christian attempts to claim what we may call “conscience rights.” What is conscience, that which someone called “that little voice in our heads”? What legitimate role […]
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What is Our Life?
12 May 2016
I was reading a book the other day and happened across mention of part of a poem by William Butler Yeats, written in 1938, entitled “Politics.” I thought it was interesting in the context in which it was cited, which was a discussion of the term and concept, “politics.” One might think a poem with […]
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This is the third and last (some are saying “how long O Lord”) of a series of blogs on Christian worldview. I defined what is meant by worldview, by integration of worldview in academic disciplines, the role of presuppositions as a starting point, the elements of any worldview and the issues of the relationship of […]