Schaeffer rightly
critiques men like Sartre for their utter inconsistency, especially in terms of
applying their philosophy to life and ethics. Moral rebels suddenly become
moral on certain questions and yet they cannot account for these things – let
alone the terms and concepts they use.
30 April 2020
How Should We Then Live Part 7: The Age of Non-Reason (I)
I've often thought
about the opening segment of this video, Schaeffer standing on the beach and
drawing circles in the sand. Each represents a unified theory, comprehensive
system or worldview. Because (Schaeffer argues) these circles or systems are
rooted in man they fail and another philosopher comes along, crosses out the
circle(s) of his predecessors and develops his own – and so on.
26 April 2020
Questions Surrounding Coverage of the Saudi Nuclear Programme
After receiving some press a few years ago, the first phase
of the Saudi nuclear project is (as of April 2020) nearing completion and yet
many are expressing the warranted fear that the kingdom is going to pursue a
weapons programme. While they have signed on to the Non-Proliferation Treaty or
NPT, the treaty increasingly has no teeth. Undermined decades ago by Israel,
India, Pakistan, South Africa and in recent years by Libya, Iran and North
Korea, the international community's commitment to Non-Proliferation is
becoming a quaint but largely meaningless commitment.
23 April 2020
Hungary, Italy and Christian Democracy
Christian Democracy means different things to different
people. For some the movement is (as it is democratic) grounded within the
liberal tradition. For others it represents a hybrid between traditionalist
societal models and modern liberalism – a compromise of sorts.
21 April 2020
The Context of Mohler's Embrace of Trumpism
There aren't many voices today that are willing to
acknowledge the profound shift that took place within the Christian Right over
the past generation. The emphasis of their movement used to focus on character
and integrity in political leadership. This was a major focus in their criticism
of Bill Clinton. He was an immoral man and unfit for office. The draft-dodging,
pot-smoking, ex-hippie philanderer with a feminist wife had marred the dignity
of the office.
19 April 2020
How Should We Then Live Part 6: The Scientific Age (II)
This brings us back to the beginning of the episode and the
questions surrounding Galileo, Copernicus and others. Schaeffer is adamant that
the divide is not between science and religion but between Biblical science and
Aristotelianism which had been embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.
How Should We Then Live Part 6: The Scientific Age (I)
This was a complicated episode with fairly weighty ideas
being thrown out at a fast clip. I struggled to take notes without pausing. As
such this episode and probably the next will also require two parts in order
for me to review and respond to the material. Additionally in this episode I
wish to interact on a slightly more involved level with some of the arguments
assumptions made by Schaeffer. These are really important issues, especially
today and these touch on some very basic and fundamental questions about the
nature of knowledge that I think are critical when considering the nature of
Biblical authority. I think Schaeffer and his followers have missed the mark on
this latter albeit critical point.
17 April 2020
Covid-19: Economic Downturn and its Potential Geopolitical Consequences
I tagged this article at the end of March when it came out
and just a couple of weeks later it almost seems like non-news. Why? Because
it's the news everywhere. Virtually every economy has been affected by Covid-19
shutdowns and quarantines and is ailing as a result. The Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan is not unique.
16 April 2020
Right wing Parties Will Use Coronavirus to Attack Roma
Slovakia is currently under a moderate (mostly centrist)
government and so apart from longstanding hostility to the Roma community,
there's little fear (at the moment) of the far-right coming to power.
13 April 2020
How Should We Then Live Part 5: The Revolutionary Age (II)
We then turn to the questions surrounding the French
Revolution. Schaeffer argues that the legal basis of the Glorious Revolution
and the events of 1776 were rooted in the Reformation while the 1789
Declaration of the Rights of Man was rooted in humanism. That's a very
interesting claim which can be contested on both ends. I've already addressed
the Anglo-American side of the question but in terms of the French document,
given that Jefferson was consulted and Lafayette was one of its authors, one is
compelled to question Schaeffer's claims. The fact that Lafayette who played
such an important role in the US rebellion, was friends with Washington and
other founders and was one of the chief architects of the French Revolution
presents (at even this very basic prima
facie level) a serious challenge to Schaeffer's narrative.
How Should We Then Live Part 5: The Revolutionary Age (I)
The episode on the Reformation was fairly basic in its
concepts and presentation. On the contrary this episode is flush with ideas,
concepts and historical reference. There's a lot to consider and interact with
and it's no small task to attempt to do so in a concise manner. These are
topics I've touched on elsewhere and have extensively developed in other
essays. In many respects this episode represents a summation of much that I've
critiqued and interacted with over the past 15-20 years.
11 April 2020
How Should We Then Live Part 4: The Reformation
In some respects this was a simpler episode keeping to more
basic but recurring and even redundant themes. Schaeffer assumes that his
audience is already familiar with the basics of the Reformation narrative and
spends hardly any time laying out its chronology. I was surprised however to
hear how he postured his narrative. He argued the Reformation was the breaking
away of the Reformers from the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally the movement
represented a turning away from the humanistic elements of medieval
Catholicism.
08 April 2020
A Coronavirus Miscellany: Statistics, Science and the Libertarian Sceptics
We're now in the midst of a week that was predicted to be
Pearl Harbor and 9/11 all rolled into one. Deaths hit nearly 2,000 as of
yesterday (7 April) but thus far the claims haven't quite matched reality. The
media continues to argue that combined deaths in New York and New Jersey have
now passed 9/11, a sobering statistic which is true but the cataclysm that was
forecast, just hasn't quite panned out.
This is not to make light of the deaths that have occurred
nor do I mean to give any credence to those dismissing Covid-19 as an overblown
hoax.
07 April 2020
Lessons from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Incident
This is not a topic that is of particular interest to me but
there are some noteworthy aspects to the story. I am referring of course to the
virus outbreak on the American aircraft carrier, the leaking of the captain's communiqués,
his being relieved and now the fallout.
06 April 2020
Covid-19 and Project Venezuela
The US seems to have shifted its posture with regard to Venezuela's
Juan Guaido. Though touted by Trump and given a profile boost by his invitation
to the State of the Union in February of 2020, the truth is he has failed to
oust Nicolas Maduro and his campaign has effectively lost its momentum.
03 April 2020
How Should We Then Live Part 3: The Renaissance
Continuing his themes regarding humanism as expressed through
art and culture, Schaeffer is clearly torn. For him the 15th-16th
century Renaissance was a veritable glory. Clearly he loves the period and yet
is torn apart by it because in many respects its values are in opposition to
the Reformation culture he champions.
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