Political Ethics from 1 Timothy 2:1–8
We have recently experienced another tumultuous election season. “Don’t remind me,” you’re thinking. Now I recognize that talking politics is risky business. And yet I also recognize that the Scriptures are sufficient for life and godliness. This principle means that God’s Word has a word for all Christians at all times. It does not necessarily mean that the Scriptures address every contingency specifically. But it does mean that...
The Pro-life Ethic of Orphan Care
The confession to which Free Will Baptists subscribe is the Faith and Practices of Free Will Baptists. The name of our treatise follows the traditional dual concern for orthodoxy (right doctrine or belief) and orthopraxy (right practice). This latter emphasis (practices) sometimes goes by the name ethics. Sometimes when we hear the word ethics, we think of the hot-button issues of our day, such as abortion, biotechnology, capital...
Rhetoric: Clarity in Preaching and Teaching
As a teacher and (occasional) preacher, I find fascinating the subject of rhetoric, which simply refers to “how one ought to speak.”[1] In fact, several years ago, I published two other pieces on rhetoric, entitled “Rhetoric: The Christian and Non-verbal Communication” and “Rhetoric to the Glory of God.” In this post, I would like to return to the topic of rhetoric. One of the important means by which a preacher is the most effective...
The Christian Ethic of Life and Hope: Reflections on Box v. Planned Parenthood
Several years ago, reports began to emerge that trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) has practically disappeared in the country of Iceland. This is good news, ostensibly. But further investigation reveals the sinister cause: abortion. Over this past summer, Justice Clarence Thomas issued a timely and powerful concurring opinion to the Court’s per curiam decision, Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, Inc. (2019), in which he...
An Introduction to Conservatism: Canons Four–Five
In a previous article, I introduced classical conservatism, surveying canons one through three, from Russell Kirk’s The Politic of Prudence. In particular, conservatives believe in an enduring transcendent moral order. They adhere to custom, convention, and continuity, and they follow the principle of prescription. Thus conservatives look upwards and backwards to form their ethic. In this article, we will briefly review canon four,...
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