Incarnation and renewal

My December column for Christian Courier has been posted here: Incarnation and renewal, with this subtitle: "Christ took on our perishable flesh to redeem us for an imperishable life with him in his coming kingdom." An excerpt:

As I approach age 68, I am increasingly aware of the fragility of our earthly existence and that our years on God’s earth are limited. My father has been gone for two years. His younger sister died in October at age 90 . . . . Since May I have suffered from severe shoulder pain that is limiting my activities . . . . Moreover, I find November and December depressing months, with darkness enveloping our northern hemispheric latitude for so many hours each day. In such circumstances, it is easy to become discouraged.

Nevertheless, as a cradle Christian, I, along with the rest of the church, have rehearsed the redemptive story embedded in the church calendar for nearly three score years and ten – so many times that by now its cyclical patterns have become a source of comfort and stability. 

Read the entire article here.

Socialism and pluriformity

Two months ago I mentioned that I would be writing a series of short articles on political ideologies for the Politics Network of UCCF: The Christian Unions in the United Kingdom. The first was titled, Understanding Liberal Mythology, and was posted in October. Now the second piece in the series has appeared and is called, Socialism and Pluriformity. An excerpt:

What is socialism? It is a political ideology that aims to equalize the enjoyment of economic resources across a society, thereby eliminating the ancient cleavage between rich and poor. This would be done by everyone pooling their resources instead of each person claiming exclusive ownership over a portion. In other words, common property would replace private property. Under this arrangement, each person would work to produce the wealth that would go into a common pot, refraining from making a particular claim to the fruits of their labours. As the pot would be continually filled and refilled, any members of the community could draw from it to meet their own needs . . . .

However, the larger a community becomes, the more difficult it is to carry this out in the same way. Why?

Read the entire article to find out.

December newsletter: World Cup edition

My latest Global Scholars newsletter is now posted: DECEMBER 2022 newsletter: World Cup edition. How is my work relevant to the World Cup? Read and see for yourself. And while you are at it, please consider making a year-end donation so I can continue my work. Thanks so much in advance!

Incidentally, I've been informed by people in the know that my position on the alternate Brazilian team is not goalie but striker, "perhaps an even more prestigious position considering that is who scores many of the goals." I suppose I do tend to underestimate myself!

CARE UK event

As I did around this time last year, I had another great conversation today with the current group of young people in the CARE Leadership Programme in the United Kingdom. CARE stands for Christian Action, Research, and Education. The website describes the programme:

The Leadership Programme provides talented Christian graduates, who have a desire to serve the Lord in public life, the opportunity to experience a year in Parliament or a policy-shaping NGO.

For four days a week, graduates are placed with a Parliamentarian or in an NGO, helping with speech writing, research, advocacy and public relations. Most internships are London-based, but we also offer Parliamentary placements in Edinburgh at the Scottish Parliament and occasionally media and business placements. This eleven month educational programme provides a unique insight into Parliament and how it works . . . .

Additionally, for one day a week, graduates participate in an intensive study programme that includes theology, political theory and training in leadership skills.

Included in their studies is my book, Political Visions and Illusions, about which they posed some great questions for our discussion. I pray that God will bless these young people as they seek to serve him and their fellow citizens.

ANAJURE lecture and discussion

Last evening I was privileged to address remotely a group of Brazilians at the invitation of Gabriel Dayan Stevão de Matos, executive director of Associação Nacional de Juristas Evangélicos (ANAJURE), or the National Association of Evangelical Jurists. My talk was on the relationship between ideology and idolatry, and it was followed by questions from the participants.

As always, I was overwhelmed by the expressions of appreciation for my work and for my participation in this event. I was particularly moved by a prayer for me at the end of the event. May God bless the people of Brazil, and may he continue to advance his kingdom in that beautiful country.

Aqui está uma descrição em português:

A mystical faith

Christian Courier has published my recent column titled, A mystical faith, with this subtitle: "Our approach to God must always be accompanied by the humble recognition that he deserves our worship." An excerpt:

No one has ever accused me of being a mystic. For one thing, I don’t dress the part. No flowing robes or beard down to the belly. Corduroy trousers and tweed jackets are my style. But even apart from sartorial evidence, my writings show few signs of flirting with mysticism. I love the carefully constructed logical argument, whose symmetry I find deeply satisfying – even beautiful!

Nevertheless, I have always known that mystery accompanies faith in the God who created us and saved us through Jesus Christ. Part of this may flow from my paternal Orthodox roots, but even a Reformed Christian upbringing made me aware of God’s presence in a way that defies explanation.

Does that make me a mystic? Read the entire article here to find out.

Byzantine Calvinist Commentary 1: nondenominational churches and the liberal narrative

Beginning this week, I will periodically be uploading video commentaries on various issues, some relevant to politics and others more generally relevant to the life in Christ, including the church. Here is the first in this series, on Nondenominational churches and the liberal narrative, which is a slight reworking of my recent blog post with this title.

A Trilha de Cantuária: culto e reforma

My recent post on The Canterbury Trail: worship and reformation has been translated into Portuguese and posted at Lecionário: A Trilha de Cantuária: culto e reforma. An excerpt follows the Portuguese translation immediately below.

Meu post recente sobre The Canterbury Trail: worship and reformation foi traduzido para o português e postado no Lecionário: A Trilha de Cantuária: culto e reforma. Um trecho:

Webber não me levou ao anglicanismo per se, muito menos a uma comunhão anglicana, uma invenção de meados do século XIX. Mas ler seus livros me ajudou a entender que até alguns dos reformadores do século 16 erraram, especialmente no que diz respeito às liturgias históricas da Igreja. Em qualquer esforço para reformar a igreja, os pretensos reformadores devem diferenciar entre o que pertence legitimamente à tradição da qual são herdeiros e o que são acréscimos antibíblicos. Isso requer conhecimento de como era a igreja antiga e como ela adorava o Deus trino. Infelizmente, os reformadores não tiveram acesso às fontes mais antigas que conhecemos hoje.

Leia o artigo inteiro aqui.

Nondenominational churches and the liberal narrative

This month Christianity Today reports that ‘Nondenominational’ Is Now the Largest Segment of American Protestants. Although I have no memory of being part of such a nondenominational congregation, my parents had me dedicated as an infant at the Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton, Illinois, although a year and a half later I would be baptized in an Orthodox Presbyterian congregation near Chicago. Back in the day, WBC was a flourishing congregation just north of downtown. Although the man who presided at my parents' wedding was an ordained Presbyterian minister, he attended this church along with his family. Decades later it is a nondenominational megachurch, having attracted members from other neighbouring congregations, one of which recently closed.

November newsletter posted

My latest Global Scholars newsletter is now posted online: November 2022 newsletter. Among the news to report: my shoulder pain appears to be improving slowly, and I have received a second grant from the Reid Trust. Thanks for your continued prayers and financial support for my work.

A new Carolingian era

Christian Courier has posted my latest column: A new Carolingian era, with this subtitle: "Three reasons to believe that King Charles is off to a good start." Here is the second reason:

[A]lthough King Charles has not been as beloved a figure as his late mother, he is heir to a legacy of considerable good will and admiration that she earned during her seven decades of service to her country and to the Commonwealth. Sad to say, the media are not as respectful of the royal office as they were in 1952, yet I believe that our new monarch will rise to the occasion, taking every opportunity to connect with his people on a personal level. He may not be a gregarious person, but neither was his late grandfather, who endeared himself to his people through his courage and dedication during the war.

 Read the first and third reasons here.

The Canterbury Trail: Liturgy and Reformation

Kuyperian Commentary has published my post, titled, The Canterbury Trail: Liturgy and Reformation. I wrote it in response to a post by Gillis Harp: Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail: Reflections on the Pilgrimage to Anglicanism Nearly 40 Years After Webber’s Classic. An excerpt:

A close examination of the Apostolic Tradition [of Hyppolytus] and similar early documents indicates that many of the Reformers unduly disposed of much that should have been retained, rejecting some of the substance of the tradition along with the accretions. . . . If the Apostolic Tradition was lost to the Reformers, its liturgical rubrics and texts survived in both the western and eastern rites of the historic church and were thus available to the Reformers of the 16th century in that form. Indeed, Cranmer and Luther retained much of the ordinary of the mass, removing its accretions, translating it into their respective vernacular languages, and prescribing it for use in the churches for which they were responsible.

This is cross posted to my Genevan Psalter blog as well.

Dooyeweerd and the inadequacy of conservatism and progressivism

One of Abraham Kuyper's philosophical heirs was Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977), whose prolific writings are increasingly being translated into English, Portuguese, and other languages. One of his lesser known works is his Encyclopedia of the Science of Law, of which two volumes have thus far been published in English. Although Dooyeweerd was also an heir of Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer (1801-1876), whose analysis of the French Revolution owed much to that of Edmund Burke (1729-1797), Dooyeweerd was severely critical of conservatism in its many manifestations. This is from volume one of the Encyclopedia:

Iran and the arc of history

AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes

When I was an undergraduate student back in the mid 1970s, I took a concentrated summer course in the Russian language at the University of Minnesota. While my grasp of Russian would weaken over the ensuing decades, I still remember the protests on campus of Iranian students against the rule of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had less than two years remaining in his troubled reign. At the time, it seemed possible that the Shah might be replaced by a Marxist régime. My political science education, coupled with a minor in history, had prepared me for the likelihood that an unpopular American-supported monarch, whom the CIA had put in power in 1953, could be replaced by a revolutionary group sympathetic to the Soviet Union. After all, we had seen it happen before in Asia and Africa, and, of course, in Castro's Cuba, only 140 kilometres from Florida's coast.

Ukraine & Russia: To Whom Does The Land Belong?

Jason Scott Montoya interviewed me again last week, and the interview can be viewed here:

The interview along with ancillary material can also be found here: Ukraine & Russia: To Whom Does The Land Belong? Discussing Geographic Sovereignty With David T. Koyzis Ph.D.

October newsletter posted

My Global Scholars newsletter has now been posted online: October 2022 newsletter. As always, I am thankful for your financial and prayer support for my work. Please pray for a complete recovery from my chronic shoulder pain and that I might get to see two specialists before too long. Thanks again.

The altar call: good or bad? Kuyperian Commentary

My short piece from last week has been reposted at Kuyperian Commentary: The altar call: good or bad? An excerpt:

Reformed Christians in North America were historically divided over New Measures revivalism, leading to an outright split between Old School and New School Presbyterians lasting from 1837 to 1857. The division resurfaced in the 1930s during the fundamentalist-modernist controversy with Orthodox Presbyterians (Old School) going one way and Evangelical and Bible Presbyterians (New School) going another. Old School Presbyterians feared that revival methods would elicit false conversions that would quickly disappear when buffeted by the winds of adversity and the temptations of sin (Matthew 13:20-21). Once the emotional high had evaporated, converts would rest on a false assurance of salvation depending too much on their own decision for Christ apart from God’s electing grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. Revivalism appeared to be based on the false assumption that an unregenerate person could decide for Christ and thereby effectively ensure his or her own redemption—something often called decisional regeneration.

Would bringing back altar calls in churches be a good thing?

Find the answer here.

Can Christian Higher Education Stay the Course?

A blog post of mine from the beginning of last month has been picked up by the Christian Scholar's Review blog: Can Christian Higher Education Stay the Course? An excerpt:

One possible reason for a university losing its confessional moorings is an underlying worldview that divides the curriculum between divinity/theology on the one hand and so-called secular disciplines on the other, parallel to the historic scholastic division between sacred and secular. Because it was assumed that these latter disciplines were subject to the canons of a neutral reason, any connection with the faith would be extrinsic at least and unnecessary at most. In McMaster’s case, this approach is likely why the university could so easily restrict the historic Baptist element to the Divinity College, still situated uneasily on campus as a curious vestige of its earlier affiliation.

Understanding liberal mythology: The Politics Network

Last week, on 3 October, I had the privilege of conversing with between 15 and 20 young people in the United Kingdom who are part of the Civitas programme of the Politics Network. I believe this is the third time I have spoken with a Civitas group, as hosted by Thomas Kendall. The Politics Network is affiliated with Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, or The Christian Unions, located in Oxford. The participating young people are generally working for members of parliament. The topic under discussion was "The Liberal Myth: Rationalism and the Privatisation of Faith." As before, it was a most enjoyable experience.

The altar call: good or bad?

Christianity Today recently published an article by Russell Moore titled, Bring Back Altar Calls,  with the following subtitle: "They could foster the worst in evangelical spirituality. But the best of it, too." Because the article is behind a paywall, I cannot assess the author's argument, but I will take the occasion to look at the altar call because it is something with which I grew up, at least in part. No, not at the Orthodox Presbyterian Church congregation my parents started with another family in Wheaton, Illinois, when I was a small child. The OPC represents a rather pure form of Old School Presbyterianism, which took a dim view of New Measures revivalism in the 19th century. Worship in our congregation was based on the 1961 Trinity Hymnal, along with the use of traditional liturgical forms such as the Lord's Prayer, the Apostles' Creed, the Gloria Patri, the confession of sin and assurance of pardon, and the weekly reading of the Ten Commandments. We sang metrical psalms from the 1912 Psalter of the former United Presbyterian Church in North America.

Remembering Ron Sider

My latest Christian Courier column has been posted online: Remembering Ron Sider, devoted to the late Christian leader who died on 27 July this year. Here is an excerpt:

[Sider] attempted to articulate a comprehensive pro-life ethic in opposition to abortion, capital punishment, and of course hunger. In 1987 Sider wrote a book called Completely Pro-Life: Building a Consistent Stance, in which he tied together several issues that would defy the conventional labels of conservative and progressive. Sadly, his efforts did not prevent especially evangelical Christians from dividing along the political lines familiar to us today.

Read the entire article here.

When a constitution gets rights wrong

Last month, after Chileans rejected a new proposed constitution, I offered some possible reasons for this rejection: Chile's constitution: back to square one. Now another article appears that puts Chile's constitutional issue in a larger historical context: What the Constitutions of the Soviet Union and North Korea Can Teach Us about Rights—and the Purpose of a Constitution. The author, Jack Elbaum, recounts the adoption of the 1936 Soviet Constitution which the country's leaders praised as "the most democratic in the world."

Jason Montoya interview

This week Jason Scott Montoya interviewed me for his podcast, which can be seen immediately below:

The interview can also be found at Jason's website, along with relevant links: Political Visions & Illusions: A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies — With Author David T. Koyzis. Thanks to Jason for a stimulating conversation!

The seeds of the gospel: remembering the Queen

Over the past not quite two weeks, the world has witnessed the grandest of ceremonial and pageantry in honour of Her Late Majesty the Queen, beginning with the memorial service at St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, then the funeral a week later at Westminster Abbey, and finally the committal service at St. George's, Windsor, where she was laid to rest. Great Britain is, of course, famous around the globe for the pomp and circumstance with which it surrounds its monarchy—something which other constitutional monarchies long ago put behind them.

Nevertheless, what stood out for me in these three memorial services is the extent to which they focussed, not so much on the Queen's life and witness, but on the person of Jesus Christ whom she trusted as her Saviour. To be sure, there was some eulogizing, especially by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, during the funeral.

Sherif Girgis on Constitutional Law and Culture After Dobbs

Last week Calvin University hosted Prof. Sherif Girgis, who teaches at the Law School at my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. His lecture on Constitutional Law and Culture After Dobbs can be found immediately below:

One of Girgis' more persuasive points is that, in today's United States, there is a predominant notion that the courts—and the courts alone—are the arbiters of what is constitutional and what is not. But it has not always been thus. In the early history of the US, presidents and Congress alike saw themselves as guarantors of the constitution, alongside the courts. The introduction of judicial review in 1803 was not meant to negate the responsibilities of the other branches of government to uphold the constitution. Two centuries later, however, something like judicial supremacy has become a poor substitute for constitutional supremacy, as provided for in Article VI, paragraph 2, of the Constitution of the United States.

September newsletter

I have just posted my Global Scholars newsletter for September online, including, once again, a request for prayers for my return to health, especially after COVID made its way through our household this month: September 2022 newsletter. Thanks once again for your financial support and prayers!

'We are all orphans'

My updated Christian Courier column has been posted online under the title, "We are all orphans," with this subtitle: "In a culture of ‘self,’ the Queen was a true servant of the people." An excerpt:

Although we knew it was coming, we still experienced the death of Queen Elizabeth II as a blow. I myself was caught off guard and wept when I heard the news. A good friend put it well: we are all orphans. The Queen had been on the throne for seven decades, since before I was born, and serving until after my retirement. . . .

In Canada and 14 other Commonwealth Realms, once styled dominions, Queen Elizabeth II served as head of state, serenely carrying out the responsibilities she believed God had given her. No other monarch reigned as long as she. During her years on the throne, she earned the admiration of her own subjects and of people around the world, who have good reason to envy people living in these realms.

Read the entire column here.

Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

Chile's constitution: back to square one

Plaza de la Constitucion, Santiago, Chile

Twice in recent months I have had speaking events related to Chile, an unusually long and thin Spanish-speaking republic stretching along the Pacific coast of South America bounded to its east by the Andes Mountains and Argentina. On sunday, 4 September, Chilean voters rejected the new constitution proposed by the administration of the country's 36-year-old president Gabriel Boric by a substantial margin of 62 percent over 38 percent. This new draft, intended to replace the 1980 constitution introduced by former dictator Augusto Pinochet, boasted a whopping 388 articles, making it one of the longest, if not the longest, constitutional documents in the world. After unrest in 2019 over price rises, the government decided to hold a plebiscite on a new constitution, which 80 percent of voters supported the following year. The next two years were spent drafting the document, which was to be placed before Chileans for their approval. While Pinochet's constitution had enshrined a neoliberal market-oriented economic régime, ordinary Chileans became increasingly dissatisfied with it, culminating in the mass protests of three years ago.

Unifying or divisive? Biden's speech

Last thursday evening, 1 September, United States President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., delivered a speech in Philadelphia, a city of historic significance for Americans. Here is the speech in full:

There is reason to be ambivalent about the appropriateness of this speech, which will likely be seen as hopelessly partisan by his political opponents. I will make three observations concerning the speech.

Staying the course: Christian higher education

Not far from our home in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is one of southern Ontario's premier universities, McMaster, known internationally as a centre for advanced scientific and medical research. What few remember is that the university once had a connection with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Québec, the only remnant of which is the presence on campus of McMaster Divinity College, whose most famous faculty member was probably the late Clark Pinnock. 

During my first years of teaching at a neighbouring institution, I often found myself in the Mills Library at McMaster. During one visit, I happened to notice the university's crest outside the elevators, and I was surprised to read the motto emblazoned in Greek letters above the shield: ΤΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΕΝ ΧΡΙΣΤΩΙ ΣΥΝΕΣΤΗΚΕΝ: "In Christ all things hold together." This, of course, is a reference to Colossians 1:17. I imagined that hundreds of people would walk past this coat of arms every day as they moved between the floors of the library, unaware of what the words meant or of their history. According to the university's website, "One may suppose that the motto and book were intended to express the concept, espoused in the Will of Senator McMaster, of 'a Christian school of learning'."

Gorbachev (1931-2022)

RIA Novosti archive
Vladimir Vyatkin

Mikhail Gorbachev, who died yesterday at age 91, leaves behind a Russia caught up in the troubles engendered by the breakup of an empire he tried in vain to salvage. Lionized by the west, he was vilified at home, a tragic figure whose good intentions were insufficient to free Russia from the weight of its own turbulent past.

He will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the great leaders of the last quarter of the 20th century, who brought to a fairly peaceful end one of the most oppressive regimes in history, yet without being able to alter for the better the political culture that had nurtured it. Successfully ending the Cold War after just over four decades, Gorbachev proved more skilled at initiating good relations with the major western powers than at securing and maintaining the support of his own people. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher memorably called the Soviet leader "a man one could do business with." Nevertheless, co-operation at élite levels does not necessarily lead to lasting friendship between nations, as we are seeing at present with Russia's international isolation over its attack on Ukraine.

I will have more to say about Gorbachev's legacy in the near future.

The respectable Christianity of Life with Father

In many ways this classic 1947 film has not aged well, with its portrayal of a stern patriarchal father and a manipulative mother who actually controls the household and invariably gets her way. What was thought humorous seventy-five years ago might be thought insufferable today. Nevertheless, I found the film fascinating, even as I admit I had to take it in small doses to get through the entire thing. Starring two of the best known actors of their day, William Powell (1892-1984) and Irene Dunne (1898-1990), Life with Father is a cinematic version of a 1939 play, based in turn on the 1935 autobiography by Clarence Day, Jr. (1874-1935), played in the film by 24-year-old Jimmy Lydon (1923-2022), better remembered for playing Henry Aldrich in the eponymous radio programme and film series. The score was composed by Max Steiner (1888-1971), known for his music for Gone With the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942), and A Summer Place (1959), among many others.

 

The source of my interest lies in its portrayal of turn-of-the-last-century upper-middle-class urban Christianity. The Day family are New York City Episcopalians (Anglicans) in the 1890s (1883 in the film), their church affiliation playing a major role in the story line. This comes out in three subplots.

Iron Sharpens Iron interview

As I mentioned in my August newsletter, Jonathan Chaplin interviewed me on the subject of my book, Political Visions and Illusions. The interview has now been posted on YouTube:

Hopeful realism or patient hopefulness?

Last month three esteemed colleagues of mine published a statement in Public Discourse: the Journal of the Witherspoon Institute: Hopeful Realism: Renewing Evangelical Political Morality. The authors, Jesse Covington, Bryan McGraw, and Micah Watson, I know from conferences we have all attended. Last May, during my visit to Calvin University, I was privileged to have coffee (well, tea actually) with Watson, who teaches political science there. This article was a collaborative effort, and I recommend a close reading of their argument, which is that the future of evangelical politics lies in a recovery of the natural law under the broad rubric of a hopeful realism. The authors outline four principles of a hopeful realism:

Tradition as a Way of Life: Yoram Hazony’s Winsome Defence

Mere Orthodoxy has published my review of Yoram Hazony's Conservatism: A Rediscovery: Tradition as a Way of Life: Yoram Hazony’s Winsome Defence. An excerpt:

I personally found the book a delightful read. Few nonfiction books are likely to be page turners, but this one is. Despite its nearly 400 pages, Conservatism is difficult to put down once you’ve begun, so it’s best to set aside some time to do it justice. Indeed, virtually every page is brimming with wisdom rooted in the biblical tradition with which the author, an observant Jew, is familiar. He shows considerable insight into human relationships and the qualities needed to maintain them over the long term. In fleshing out his conservative vision, Hazony succeeds in making the rival liberal and Marxist worldviews look thin and remote from lived reality. Nevertheless, despite the book’s considerable strengths, I was not persuaded by his overall argument for two reasons that I will explain below.

To learn what those reasons are, click here.

Three years ago I reviewed Hazony's earlier book, The Virtue of Nationalism, at Kuyperian Commentary: Is Nationalism Worth Defending? Both books are worth reading and pondering.

Probing the Russian and Ukrainian political cultures

At the time of communism's collapse in the Soviet Union and its former client states, some observers believed it was possible that Russia and the other post-Soviet republics would finally adopt democratic forms of government. One such scholar, Nicolai N. Petro, published a book titled, The Rebirth of Russian Democracy: An Interpretation of Political Culture (Harvard, 1997). I used to assign this book when I was teaching Russian politics, not because I found Petro's thesis entirely persuasive, but because the author plausibly focussed on the country's tradition of "constrained autocracy," Orthodox Christianity's "Symphonic Ideal," and the possible role of "Russia's Alternative Political Organizations" in paving the way to democracy. Sad to say, Russia's tradition of less constrained autocracy reasserted itself at the turn of the millennium, with President Vladimir Putin making a concerted effort to rein in and ultimately suppress alternative organizations that might have constrained his authoritarian proclivities. The current war with Ukraine has only increased the power of an autocratic leader—something scarcely surprising to students of Russian history.

August newsletter

I have now posted my latest Global Scholars newsletter online, including a request for prayers for my health: August 2022 newsletter.

Cardus conversation and populism

This week I travelled (virtually) from one end of South America to the other, while last evening saw my return to Canada, where I conversed with Cardus' 2022-2023 NextGen Fellowship Cohort, consisting of twelve people ages 25 to 34 with impressive résumés who are at the beginning of their careers in public service. They have been reading and discussing together Political Visions and Illusions, and last evening was their opportunity to talk with the author. One of the participants asked a question about populism, as did one of my Brazilian readers a day earlier. I did not cover populism as such in my book, although my treatments of conservatism, nationalism, and democratism certainly have relevance. Five years ago, however, I did write an article for the Autumn 2017 issue of The Bible in Transmission, of the Bible Society (also known as the British and Foreign Bible Society): Populism in Christian Perspective. An excerpt:

Remote lecture and conversation: João Pessoa, Brazil

The Brazilian city of João Pessoa is on the other side of South America from Santiago, Chile, and this is the location of the hosts for my next lecture, which took place last evening. The sponsoring institution was the Faculdade Internacional Cidade Viva in the tropical northeast of the continent's largest country. Every day between 8 and 14 August, to open the new semester, the faculty is discussing Political Visions and Illusions. I spoke to them on "Ideologies and Idolatry," taking the form of a first-person account of how I came to write the book and a brief glimpse into my plans for a sequel.

Remote lecture: Santiago, Chile

Last evening I delivered a remote lecture to the community associated with the Facultad de Teología Reformada in Santiago, Chile. This is a winter seminar (Chile is in the southern hemisphere of course) devoted to the Well-Being of the City (based on Jeremiah 29), connected with a larger discussion of Christian Faith, Political Action, and the New Constitution. After the turmoil of 2019, Chile is in the process of formulating a new constitution to replace the 1980 constitution adopted during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. A plebiscite on the document will take place next month.

Here is my lecture and subsequent discussion below. I especially liked the question about the element of truth in anarchism, something I did not cover in Political Visions and Illusions.

Reaching the hispanic world

Christian Courier has published my monthly column here: Reaching the hispanic world, with the subtitle: "¡Que Dios bendiga a su pueblo en el mundo hispano!" An excerpt:

Sources differ on the numbers of Spanish speakers in the United States, but their presence is enough to make that country one of the largest hispanophone nations in the world, possibly outranking Spain itself. Indeed, automatic teller machines in banks will prompt you to choose between English and Spanish, even though Spanish is not an official language of the United States . . . .

In 2014 the Pew Research Center reported that the Catholic share of the Latino population was declining, with evangelical and unaffiliated numbers growing. According to the report, Hispanic evangelicals attend church at higher rates than Catholics and are more involved in related activities such as Bible studies and evangelism. With the Latino population increasing in the U.S., it seems likely that Christianity will become more Hispanic as religious observance declines among the white middle class.

Read the entire column here.

Lessons from the January 6th hearings

NBC

Watching the January 6th congressional hearings has brought back a rather vivid memory from my youth. I was in my last weeks of high school when the Senate Watergate hearings began and a first-year undergraduate student when they ended. I had declared a major in music at Bethel College (now University), but I was glued to the television throughout the successive months as Senator Sam Ervin presided over the hearings. I was angry at the so-called Saturday Night Massacre in which an embattled president fired the special prosecutor responsible for investigating the misdeeds of his own administration. Along with many other Americans, I was incensed at the spectacle of Richard Nixon abusing his constitutional authority in the interest of staying in power amidst credible charges of wrongdoing. Indeed, the Watergate scandal was one of the precipitating events that moved me to change my major field of studies from music to political science.

Reflections on Dobbs v Jackson

My six-part series on the US Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson has been picked up and republished as a single essay by Kuyperian Commentary: Reflections on Dobbs v Jackson. An excerpt:

[W]hen a particular group asserts a right not contained in a written constitution or previously unacknowledged in the unwritten constitution, such a claim must be adjudicated by a generally recognized authority. At the outset such a claim to a right is only that: a claim. Those making such a claim must make their case in the proper forum along with those who might have legitimate reasons to contest the claim. Justice requires, not simply acknowledging the claim, but hearing all sides, weighing the issue according to recognized principles of justice anchored in the law, and deciding whether the claimed right, either in whole or in part, should be recognized as positive law. In the vast majority of such cases, a representative body is the most appropriate authority to weigh such a claim, either by enacting a new statute or initiating an amendment to the Constitution. If a given polity is divided on the claim, neither side is likely to obtain the entirety of what it is seeking. But such outcomes are in the very nature of democracy, in which compromise enables some measure of conciliation in the midst of disagreement.

Read the entire article here.

July newsletter

 My Global Scholars newsletter for July is now posted here: July 2022 newsletter.

Reflections on Dobbs: complete series

In recent weeks I have undertaken to analyze the US Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v Jackson, with a final excursus on Canada. Here are links to the entire series:

• Reflections on Dobbs, part 1: creating and overturning precedents 
• Reflections on Dobbs, part 2: 'rights talk' and partisan polarization 
• Reflections on Dobbs, part 3: Planned Parenthood v Casey 
• Reflections on Dobbs, part 4: the Court's reasoning 
• Reflections on Dobbs, part 5: was it rightly decided?
• Reflections on Dobbs: An excursus on abortion in Canada

If you begin reading the first instalment, you can simply move to the next one by clicking on the link at the bottom, without needing to return to this page.

Reflections on Dobbs, part 6: an excursus on abortion in Canada

As in many things, Canada and the United States differ with respect to abortion policy. As noted earlier, unlike the US, Canada has a unified Criminal Code for the entire country. For the first century after Confederation, abortion was banned as a criminal offence. Under Pierre Trudeau's Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69, also known as the "Omnibus Bill," abortion was allowed under certain circumstances, provided it was performed in hospital under the supervision of a therapeutic abortion committee. If the life or health of the mother was at stake, the three-physician committee was authorized to approve it. In 1970, this provision was numbered section 251 of the Criminal Code, the first two subsections of which read as follows:

Reflections on Dobbs, part 5: was it rightly decided?

As we noted earlier, the English common law treats established precedents as binding on current and future court decisions. The ancient doctrine of stare decisis, or stand on what is decided, is a fundamental principle that guides the courts in common law jurisdictions. The common law is often said to be "judge-made law," as distinct from law made by a legislative body. But to say that judges make the law may not be altogether accurate. According to Cicero,

Revista Fé Cristão interview

I recently had the privilege of engaging in an online conversation with Natanael Pedro Castoldi, a graduate student in clinical psychology at Universidade do Vale do Taquari (Univates) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The resulting interview has been posted at Revista Fé Cristão: Conversando com… David Koyzis – em inglês e português (BR). As the title indicates, it is in both Portuguese and English. Here is an excerpt in English:

Reflections on Dobbs, part 4: the Court's reasoning

Now we come to the ruling itself. The case began after the state of Mississippi enacted a law in 2018 banning most abortions after the first fifteen weeks of pregnancy. The state's only abortion provider, Jackson Women's Health Organization, sued State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs on the grounds that the law violated the constitutionally-protected right to abortion guaranteed in Roe v Wade. Mississippi in turn asked that the law be upheld and Roe struck down. As the case was being argued in the lower courts, these courts had granted injunctions to suspend enforcement of the law. Near the end of 2021, the case was heard by the Supreme Court, the highest court of appeal in the United States, with the decision expected this year. At the beginning of May a draft copy of the Court's ruling was leaked to Politico, in an unprecedented breach of confidentiality. The Court released its decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization on 24 June 2022, and, as expected, it struck down Roe v Wade. Here are the key paragraphs of the decision:

An era of good feelings

Christian Courier has published my latest column here: An era of good feelings, with the subtitle: "Happiness vs. joy: what's the difference?" Here is an excerpt:

The concern for human happiness is by no means new; Aristotle affirmed it as the proper end of human life. Aristotle, however, identified happiness with living a life of virtue, not with cheerful emotions.

What is new is the identification of happiness with feeling good about oneself. The slightest dip in one’s self-esteem is increasingly regarded as a crisis needing to be addressed and resolved, probably through some form of therapy combined with social approbation. Suffering, and even mere inconvenience, are rendered meaningless, regarded as the deprivation of a good life. Sadly, even Christians have imbibed this worldview. Many Christians effectively subordinate the authority of God’s word to their personal aspirations, diminishing the seriousness of our sinful proclivities and with them Christ’s sacrifice to atone for our sins.

Read the entire article here, and don't forget to subscribe to Christian Courier.

Reflections on Dobbs, part 3: Planned Parenthood v Casey

In 1992 abortion again came before the Supreme Court in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v Casey. The Encyclopaedia Britannica's entry describes the circumstances leading up to the case:

In 1988 and 1989 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, led by Governor Robert Casey, enacted new abortion statutes that required that a woman seeking an abortion give her informed consent, that a minor seeking an abortion obtain parental consent (the provision included a judicial waiver option), that a married woman notify her husband of her intended abortion, and, finally, that clinics provide certain information to a woman seeking an abortion and wait 24 hours before performing the abortion. Before any of these laws could take effect, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania brought suit against the governor, protesting the constitutionality of the statutes.

Visões e Ilusões Políticas: uma resenha

 Willian Orlandi fala sobre o meu livro:

 

Reichow, Reform Your Mind

I recently received a copy of this book by Josué Reichow, Reform Your Mind: The Christian Philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd, published by the Cántaro Institute, for which I was privileged to write a foreword.

Of special interest to North Americans will be chapter 5, in which he discusses the reception of Dooyeweerd's philosophy in Brazil.

The book can be purchased from the publisher and from the usual online vendors.

Reflections on Dobbs, part 2: 'rights talk' and partisan polarization

If the US Supreme Court had not made its Roe v Wade decision, abortion would have remained a matter for the individual states to decide. Whether a national pro-life movement would have arisen is difficult to say, but pro-lifers would have had to wage their political battles in each of the fifty state legislatures. In any event, a pro-life movement did indeed gain momentum, and the court's 1973 decision effectively exacerbated the deepening divisions in society over the issue. Because of the nature of the political process and because legislatures are able to put together carefully balanced compromises that at least minimally take into account the concerns of all sides, there is a good chance that everyone will come to own that decision for themselves, even if they are not completely satisfied with it.

Reflections on Dobbs, part 1: creating and overturning precedents

I was in my final year of high school when the United States Supreme Court handed down its controversial Roe v Wade decision, declaring a constitutional right to abortion and unifying the abortion licence across the country. To understand the significance of that decision, we need to recall that, unlike Canada which has a single Criminal Code applicable to the entire country, the Constitution of the United States reserves most of the criminal law to the individual states under the 10th Amendment. This is why, for example, the death penalty is still practised in some states and not in others. Prior to 22 January 1973, the legal status of abortion varied amongst the several states, with some being more permissive than others. After that date, the states were obligated to recognize a woman's right to abortion according to a trimester framework. In the first trimester, a woman's right to abortion was absolute. In the second, the state might regulate but not prohibit abortion. In the third, after the foetus was assumed to be viable, the state could prohibit abortion except in cases where the mother's health is at risk.

Gareth Jones and the crimes of Stalin

Three years ago I read a review of a recently released film, Mr. Jones, and I looked forward to seeing it in the cinema or at home. This past weekend we discovered that it is now being streamed over Amazon Prime and decided to watch it.

Mr. Jones was directed by Agnieszka Holland and tells the story of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones (1905-1935), who uncovered the truth about Josef Stalin's disastrous effort to collectivize agriculture in Ukraine and elsewhere, leading to mass starvation. Holland is a Polish film director and screenwriter whose family background in communist Poland and, before that, under nazi occupation has uniquely positioned her to tell the story of someone attempting to communicate truth in the midst of the ideological distortions of the day.

June newsletter posted

Here is my latest Global Scholars newsletter: June 2022 newsletter.

Fe Pública Chile interview

Following the publication of the Brazilian edition of Political Visions and Illusions, I received many invitations to speak to Brazilian groups, the vast majority of which have taken place online. With the release of the Spanish-language edition by Teología para Vivir, my first interview relevant to a Spanish-speaking country took place on the first of the month. Under the auspices of Fe Pública Chile, I was interviewed by Luis Pino, of Santiago's Iglesia Presbiteriana Puente de Vida, with Jonathan Muñoz serving as translator. The interview can be seen below:

Healing comes with the sabbath

The Scriptures record that Jesus healed on the sabbath on seven occasions. Why did he do so? Was it simply to counter the legalism of the Jewish religious leaders? Perhaps, but I believe something more significant is at work in these episodes, as explained in an article just published in Cateclesia Forum: Healing Comes with the Sabbath. An excerpt:

God has built into his creation an eschatological destiny to be accomplished at Christ’s return when he establishes his kingdom in a new heaven and new earth. This is when the biblical sixth day, referred to in Genesis 1:24–31, yields to the seventh day when God rests from his work and his elect enter with him into that rest. The entire redemptive story laid out in Scripture points to this as our ultimate hope. At that hour, in the fulness of God’s time, our work in his creation will find its fulfilment and commendation, much as the law itself will be fulfilled.

If we look at Jesus’ miracles in light of this sabbatarian reading of Scripture, they come to appear less like protests against legalism and more like an affirmation of the centrality of sabbath to the biblical story.

Read the entire article here.