The Industrial F·a·m·i·l·y
Political and cultural conservatives have spent the last several decades sounding alarms about the state of the family in our society. We can easily find a slew of articles or podcasts bemoaning the rise of single motherhood, sexual libertinism, pornography, and abortion. However, as Wendell Berry noted in the early 1990s, these “conservative” defenses of the nuclear family have generally rung hollow because they have failed to...
Faith in A Dry and Dusty Land
Need is an incredible motivator. Impending danger to a loved one can propel even the meekest person to face down fears and threats that would usually paralyze him or her. The presence of need focuses our attention precisely on a specific problem. Our vision irises down to a single point and everything else is set aside for the moment. However, when we give our full attention to the dangers we perceive in our lives, we sometimes even...
Every Nation under Heaven: Biblical Nationalism III
In two previous essays, I explored the nature of national identity through God’s work creating nations at the Tower of Babel, forcing the children of Noah to fulfill His command to fill the earth, and then His crafting of a single nation from the man Abraham. Though we could draw much more from the Old Testament on the nature of nations (I recommend giving attention to the book of Isaiah), we turn to Acts 2 in the New Testament in...
Bonds and Chains: First Wave Feminism and the Institution of Marriage
In August 2023, I posted an essay that explored the biblical characteristics of marriage, focusing on the institution’s theological context, civic role, and hierarchical structure as revealed in Scripture. The description of marriage I offered differs significantly from the one assumed in modern Western culture. Yet Western Civilization was deeply shaped by the Christian worldview of the institution. So, how have our families,...
“Earth’s Holocaust”: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Social Reform
Debates over the possibility of social reform have been prominent in twenty-first-century American politics. Leftists have proposed to rectify systemic racism, sexism, and sexual exclusion through the power of legislation and modern technology. The rapid-fire accusations and proposed legislative solutions have left many conservatives and moderate liberals confused and deeply alarmed. While we can certainly be concerned and promote...
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