In the last post, I gave a brief account of the rise and dominance of the psychological interpretation of man and the therapeutic society. I noted three areas where psychology has become the dominate force, in Helmut Schelsky’s words, in “shaping the world of human instincts.” Those three areas are: 1) the force that provides the symbols and rituals that organize and give meaning to a society, 2) the force that allows us to distance ourselves from society and classify... Read more
In 1955 German sociologist Helmut Schelsky wrote these enigmatic yet incisive words: Psychotherapy and psychological care, deliberate sex education and organized marriage guidance, birth control and child guidance clinics, group teaching and human relations, the entire apparatus of modern mental welfare technology or of ‘social engineering’, are taking the place of the dwindling services of institutions and conventions in shaping the world of human instinct …. This process may be described as the conventionalization of the mind through the popularization... Read more
This month’s special series for Patheos writers is on the faith of public figures. Since I have written a few articles recently on the highly controversial Tucker Carlson, I figured I would give it a go. Personally, celebrities in general do not interest me, with the exception, perhaps, of boxers (because I love boxing). However, in a celebrity culture, a culture that lives and moves and has its being wrapped up in the life of those on television or in... Read more
I hate to be the guy who points this out, but we need to do some semantic housekeeping in the Church. I won’t name names, but we have to acknowledge we are living in a culture of “memes” and that this is a legitimate problem. It is a culture where vacuous, silly and just plain dumb things get said and then passed along without much thought, usually because somebody famous said them. As the Church, the community on earth that... Read more
“Yes, Virginia, demons are real.” And they are real not only as Francis Church described Santa Claus in his 1897 response to 8-year old Virginia O’Hanlon. In that editorial classic, Church pointed out to the young New York lass how a world without Santa Claus would indeed be a very “dreary” world. Of course, this argument wouldn’t work for demons, or much else for that matter. However, Church also argued that “The most real things in the world are those that... Read more
Guest Post by Nathan Amerson Is the Bible ambiguous? As Evangelicals who stake our truth claims upon the authority of Scripture we would certainly prefer to answer this question in the negative. At the same time, we must recognize that many of the foundational beliefs we hold dear may be simultaneously defended or critiqued using the same Scriptures. This is a reality we must continually confront with both reason and humility. A Classic Example: Arminian vs. Reformed on Salvation and Election... Read more
Heraclitus once wrote that “War is both father and king of all,” and “all things come to pass through the compulsion of strife.” According to the pessimistic, pre-Socratic philosopher, conflict in the world was not only inevitable, but necessary. It also existed in two planes, the vertical and the horizontal, “Gods and men: living in each other’s death, dying in each other’s life.” War, father and king of us all, was the fundamental nature of nature according to Heraclitus. It was... Read more
I admit, suggesting Tucker Carlson is a “Prophet for our Times” is a fairly “click-baity” title. However, I am going to answer the question it poses with some substance. This should mitigate the provocative nature of its wording, and show it to be warranted. As such, I am writing this article for two reasons. First, because I think it is true that Carlson is prophetic for out times. Second, because what Carlson has been pointing out publicly, on his very... Read more
Read Time: 10 minutes Beltane is a pagan, Gaelic feast day that originated among the ancient Irish and is still celebrated in parts of Ireland, England and Scotland. It is traditionally held on or around May 1st and has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in the last few decades with the rise of Neo-paganism in the West. I won’t go into great detail about the particularities of Beltane. You can just type a query into Chat GPT for a reasonably... Read more
Read Time: 15 minutes Recently, two of my favorite cultural commentators, Dennis Prager (a *conservative Jew) and Matt Fradd (a traditional Roman Catholic), sat down to talk about pornography. The discussion, which at times was actual debate, was good in many respects. Both men were able to articulate descent positions on both the dangers and evils of pornography and the sin of adultery. But, where there was a substantive difference, was on the issue of lust itself. This disagreement on what... Read more
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