Bruni. Not a Mug Shot
Some weeks ago, NYTs columnist Frank Bruni wrote a very nasty piece saying the Number 1 reason for NOT kicking Trump out of office is what would come next. Seriously, for the all the freak-out on how evil Trump is in every way, there is something worse? And merely because the VP is a Christian who takes his faith with sincerity. That is precisely what Bruni charges.
I write about his piece here.
Probably to most your great delights, I have not posted anything here for months. I’m still alive and not in a witness protection program. I will start being a better blogger and get busier here.
“Toxic masculinity” has been cited as the cause of everything from the #MeToo sexual assault crisis to mass shootings.
But the phrase “toxic masculinity” is an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp. One thing refutes the other
Masculinity cannot be toxic. Maleness can be and unfortunately often is. Masculinity is a social virtue. Maleness just means being a male. Men who rescue those in distress, like we saw on 9/11, in the Houston floods this summer and those who ran toward the bullets in Las Vegas are masculine. Mass shooters, rapists, abusers, gang-bangers and sexual predators are not masculine. There is a world of difference between the two.
In fact, any male who shrinks in the face of serious challenge or danger of others cannot be called masculine. Nor can any man who uses his powers to hurt other people or enrich himself. They are merely males.
How is masculinity a character quality distinct from being macho or boyish? What does it mean to be a masculine man?
I explain these important questions in a new piece I have over at the Federalist. I hope it’s interesting and helpful to you.
A foundational value in our nation is the opportunity for all its citizens to be able to compete for a fair and meaningful shot at the American dream. This begins with access to citizenship, educational opportunity, and securing meaningful work that leads to greater life opportunities via commitment, diligence, and self-sacrifice. But an important contributor to putting and keeping men, women, and children on the escalator toward the American dream is little-known and widely ignored.
Just 70 years ago, social mobility and protection from poverty were largely a factor of employment. Those who had full-time work of any kind were seldom poor. Fifty years ago, education marked the gulf separating the haves from the have-nots. For the last 20 years or more, though, marital status has increasingly become the central factor in whether our neighbors and their children rise above, remain, or descend into poverty. The research is astounding.
Continue reading here.
Millions are celebrating one young Augustinian monk’s consequential actions on this year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Even those with no interest in the history of Christianity often know the story of the great Martin Luther and his revolutionary doings on October 31, 1517. Luther’s great protestant hammer detonated a bomb as it drove a nail into the rugged wooden door of Wittenberg’s main cathedral.
It was as if he were driving a spike right into the heart of a terribly corrupt religious system. Second only to the cross of Christ, this action divides Western history into before and after.
The results of this theology professor’s world-changing action are beyond dispute. What actually happened on what is celebrated as Reformation Day, however, is highly questionable. Simply put, it’s unlikely the door episode ever happened. It certainly didn’t happen as portrayed in popular historyand classic paintings.
What a different world we’d have if more people evaluated a belief system, not from what they assume about it, but what they learn from the experienced and serious people who hold those beliefs. Because of my work at Focus on the Family, I’ve had the fortune to do this over the last decade or more with the gender studies community.
They are quite different than I am. Like 99.999 percent of the world, I hold that humanity presents itself as male and female, solely. Our gender studies friends believe this is a tragically uninformed, if not oppressive, view. What have I learned by venturing outside my own bubble and observing this different world? I have much to tell, and no one could make up this stuff.
Continue reading here…
Is the Bible Cool with Same-Sex Marriage?
A few weeks ago, a church in SoCal hosted a very thoughtful, cordial and substantive discussion between Matthew Vines and Sean McDowell on whether the Bible allows for same-sex relationships and marriage. I consider both of these men to be friends and I think this is singularly good exchange on the topic. Of course, coming from where I come from, I think Sean did a masterful job of addressing the primary issues.
I would recommend skipping to 33:29 and pick up Matthew’s opening talk. (Sean handles the bulk of what he said in the Q&A with deft.) If pressed for time, go straight to the Q&A (at 56:45) as that is the most substantive part of the conversation and largely what is handled in opening comments is considered there with rich substance.
Enjoy and share with friends regardless of where you stand on the issue.