The shootings in Omaha and in Colorado raise the specter of a (Thomas) Hobbesian “state of nature” wherein life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” and a war of “all against all.” With these two (or three) events clustered together it . . . Continue reading →
Natural Law
Reeves Responds to Clark
Russ Reeves of Tolle Blogge (his blog is no longer available) and Providence Christian College wrote such a thoughtful response to the “Natural is Not Neutral” post that it shouldn’t be buried in the comments.
Believing in Creation But Denying That We Are Creatures?
Anita writes to ask about a couple of things I said in class last night. In brief she asks why I suggest that some who believe quite strongly in creation don’t really seem to believe in creation at all and second, why . . . Continue reading →
General Equity and Eliot Spitzer
Bill Chellis weighs in thoughtfully.
God, Nihilism, and Natural Law
Fascinating autobiography from J. Budziszewski (HT: Justin Ryals).
Paul Helm on Natural Law
At Helm’s Deep.
Natural Law, the Two Kingdoms, and Homosexual Marriage
David writes to ask how, from a “two kingdoms” perspective one should think about the question of whether the state should sanction homosexual marriage.
Is Natural Law "Theocratic"?
Lee Irons raises this question in relation to the discussion that has been occurring here relative to natural law and homosexual marriage. Lee argues, “My problem with this is that, if logically carried through, this will lead to a view of civil government . . . Continue reading →
Should the State Imitate the Church?
K asks, “If God’s Word forbids women teaching and exercising authority” why shouldn’t the state follow the same principle?”
Calvin, Natural Law, and the Imperial Presidency
David Neff at CT has been reading John Witte, Jr on natural law and the two kingdoms. Darryl Hart replies to Neff.
Alan Jacobs on Conscience: A Sabbath for an Outfielder?
Alan Jacobs is always interesting and thoughtful and this piece is no exception. Stanley Fish thinks that physicians with a conscience should get out of the biz—so much for the Hippocratic Oath!— and Jacobs replies with an appeal to Sandy Koufax, Hank . . . Continue reading →
Caspar Olevianus on the "Law of Nature"
Christ the King engenders in his elect zeal for reconciling themselves to God: first of all by showing that all men are under sin, and in the kingdom darkness, especially because since all men have the knowledge of God naturally engrafted in . . . Continue reading →
Jeff is Reading Grabill on Natural Law
And he comes to some interesting conclusions.
Natural Law and Two Kingdoms in Stereo (Updated)
The book is now in the bookstore. You can order your copy from The Bookstore at WSC. If you have been wondering what all the discussion about “two kingdoms” and “natural law” is about, here’s the book for you. To accompany the . . . Continue reading →
Is Wikipedia Becoming a Fence for Stolen Goods?
A scholar of Buddhism has written a post complaining about theft from edited, academic sites. He says that intellectual property is being stolen and it’s being fenced by Wikipedia. Actually Related Posts About Wikipedia: The Cult of Wikipedia Is Wikipedia Collapsing in . . . Continue reading →
We Expect the AAUP to Speak Up
An adjunct prof at the University of Illinois has been fired for offending a student (engaging in “hate speech”). What was that “hate speech”? He dared to contrast a natural-law approach to homosexuality with other approaches (HT: AR). RELATED POSTS Natural Law, . . . Continue reading →
Truth and Consequences: The Politics of Abortion
URCNA Pastor, the Rev Dr Brian Lee, a WSC grad, has another stimulating OpEd piece in today’s Daily Caller. “The course of my life roughly coincides with the post-Roe v. Wade abortion debate in America. The Supreme Court decision was issued on . . . Continue reading →
Malthus or Althusius? An Introduction To A Pioneering Reformed Social Theorist
We seem to live in a Malthusian age, i.e., an age of increasing scarcity or perhaps fear of scarcity, where concern over how to divide an economic (and environmental) pie of limited size (called a “zero sum game”) has replaced the idea . . . Continue reading →
The Law Written on Their Hearts
Paul Bloom, in the NY Times Magazine (May 5, 2010), writes: A growing body of evidence, though, suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life. With the help of well-designed experiments, you can see glimmers . . . Continue reading →
Do the Canons of Dort Reject Natural Law?
Jeremy writes to ask whether the Canons of Dort 3/4.4 require Reformed Christians to reject the civil use of natural law. In the Canons we confess: There remain, however, in man since the fall, the glimmerings of natural light, whereby he retains . . . Continue reading →