I decided a while ago, with full knowledge of this decision’s consequences, to become a little more ignorant. As part of my ongoing attempt to live a quieter life, I deleted some apps from my phone that served little purpose but to distract me and to add noise to my life. One was my USA Today app. I used to receive notifications on my phone whenever the social media editors at USA Today decided something was important enough to... Read more
Focus is a relief. To me it is, anyway. For a long time, my blogging was too “all over the place”. I was commenting on too many issues and topics without an anchor to tie them together. When I started asking myself what was at the heart of my concerns right now, what topics mattered most to me, and what I took the greatest joy in writing about, two things stood out. First, I want to write about the meaning of... Read more
My wife, a professional musician, called me from rehearsal. I could instantly tell from the sound of her voice that something was wrong. “I forgot my score,” she said,”It’s on the piano. I need you to bring it to me. “ I told her I’d be there soon. I rushed around the house pulling myself together and then out to the car. In a hurry and a couple of blocks from our house, I began to pull forward from... Read more
In this episode, I chat with former New York Post Columnist Naomi Schaefer Riley about her book “Be the Parent, Please! : Stop Banning Seesaws and Start Banning Snapchat.” You can find the new episode here. The show is also available in iTunes. If you’d like to support the show via Patreon, click here. Listen to “Ep. 10 The Dean Abbott Podcast- Naomi Schaefer Riley 6/25/18” on Spreaker. Read more
My wife and I sometimes settle in to watch a little television. This often involves some British series, usually a period piece, typically set in the countryside. Our watching of Blue Bloods was more the exception than the rule. Twice recently, I have been struck by the portrayal of clergy in these programs. In Grantchester, a pretty good show overall, Anglican clergyman Sidney Chambers is so confused about moral realities he can barely preach or offer counsel to his flock.... Read more
If there is one thing people in most evangelical settings fear it’s being a “legalist.” You hear it all the time: “You don’t want to be too legalistic” or “She came from a very legalistic background.” Whatever “being legalistic” is in these circles, it’s clearly the opposite of what the serious Christian life should be. In fact, many evangelical institutions would prefer to welcome someone who calls the basic tenets of their faith into question than someone who is “too... Read more
The modern mind, strictly speaking, is not a mind at all. If the mind is, among other things, that part of the human person that seeks truth, weighs claims and seeks, as far as possible, to come to an objective understanding of reality, then the average modern person has been rendered mindless. This is not to say that the average modern person is stupid. Rather, the modern man’s approach to life does not value detailed examination of ideas. The modern... Read more
A new episode of The Dean Abbott Podcast has been published today. You can find it here. In this episode, I talk about the state of modern men with Aaron Renn, author and publisher of The Masculinist, an email newsletter devoted to helping men better themselves and their situations. You can listen via the player below. Listen to “Ep. 08 The Dean Abbott Podcast- Aaron Renn 5/7/2018” on Spreaker. Here’s the YouTube version , if you prefer. Read more
A new episode of The Dean Abbott Podcast has just been published. In this episode, I am joined by economist Bryan Caplan to discuss his book The Case against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money. You can find it here or listen through the player below. Listen to “Ep. 07-The Dean Abbott Podcast- Bryan Caplan 4/30/18” on Spreaker. Here is the YouTube version if you prefer. Read more
For a long time, the most desired quality in an Evangelical youth pastor was that he be crazy. Not the “he-thinks-he’s-Napoleon” kind of crazy, but the “you-never-know-what-he’ll-get-up-to” kind of crazy. He had to be the kind of guy whose behavior could aptly be described with the words “antics” and “shenanigans.” His role in the church was “to show the kids that Christians can have fun too.” Above all, he had to be the master of silly games and icebreakers. He... Read more
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