Category Archives: Ethics

In Defense of the Unborn

*Posted by Winston Hottman Earlier this year, Eric Metaxas was asked to present at the National Prayer Breakfast. His poignant and hilarious talk is a must see. Especially powerful is his defense of the unborn and his articulation of how pro-lifers should approach the issue (beginning at the 24:20 mark). Metaxas graciously capitalizes on the opportunity to bring a Christian perspective to bear on the most crucial human rights issue … Continue reading →

The Olympic Truce and Uncle Zeus

*Posted by Barry Creamer Context: The ancient and modern Olympic Games share not only a crowd pleasing athletic product but also a society shaping message. The key ancient influence on society was religion, of course, and the games were dedicated to Zeus. Today, religion still has a profound influence on every aspect of society by virtue of its ongoing practice and its legacy. But the Olympics are not dedicated to … Continue reading →

Was the Early Church Pro-Life?

*Posted by Winston Hottman Citing various testimonies of church fathers, Charles Pope argues that the early churchs teaching against abortion is clear. His list of quotations ranges primarily from the 2nd through the 4th centuries. In doing research for an Our Sunday Visitor column (my regular Q and A column), I found it necessary to comb through some of the early Church sources regarding the teaching against abortion. I thought … Continue reading →

Getting Past the Shouting Match

*Posted by Winston Hottman Like much of the dialogue in the Chik-fil-A controversy, public debate over homosexuality tends to devolve into little more than a shouting match. New Testament scholar, N. T. Wright, shares some thoughts on a better way to approach issues like this as Christians:

Gun Control and Chicken Sandwiches

*Posted by Winston Hottman Below are two articles worth a look: At the Christian Post, Dr. Russell Moore considers whether gun control is a pro-life issue or not: Many Christians and other pro-lifers support gun control measures, of course, and some support very extensive measures. But the question of gun control is a different question than the issue of gun violence itself. The gun control debate isnt between people who … Continue reading →

Compassion and the Death Penalty

*Posted by Joe Wooddell This post is brief because its so straightforward: While it might sound counterintuitive, a society that values human life is a society in which the death penalty is still an option. Remember that theres a difference between murder and other forms of killing. When a man walks into a movie theater, murders people in cold blood before several eyewitnesses, and is subsequently arrested, that man should … Continue reading →

Free Enterprise, the Welfare State, and the Battle of Ideas

*Posted by Joe Wooddell As of this writing I am in the middle of an interesting and inspiring one-week conference addressing the intersection of issues like religion, economics, freedom, human dignity and flourishing, and the best ways to help the poor. It is with a group called the Acton Institute, named after 19th century historian Lord Acton, who famously maintained, power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The … Continue reading →

Science-Fiction and Eco-Ethics

*Guest post by Dr. Benjamin Phillips. Science-fiction makes for some wonderful stories. From the works of Azimov to Verne, to the Star Wars saga, the creativity of future-oriented authors and movie-makers grips our imagination with visions of what might one day be. But, when such musings are synthesized into serious ethical proposals, then someone has lost sight of the difference between fact and fiction. Just such a cross-dimensional collision could … Continue reading →

Moral Realism and God

*Posted by Barry Creamer The Euthyphro Dilemma raises two horns, either of which leaves most theists dangling uncomfortably below the basis of their complacency. The point here is not to reason all the way through the dilemma, nor even to approach many of its facets, but rather simply to make one observation about one of the horns (the second horn, as presented here). As a question, the dilemma is this: … Continue reading →

Strange Days… Some Strange Sentences… And Mother’s Day

*Posted by Kirk Spencer Its been a strange last few daysstranger than normal. Here are some of the highlights: A toddler at a Ranger game cries because he didnt catch a ball. The event makes it on the big screen and the announcer cries foul until the toddler gets what he wantsa Rangers baseball of his very own. Then the event makes it to Youtube and everyone else cries foul … Continue reading →