Category Archives: Culture commentary

Dreher and the Catholic Guilt Canard

Posted on April 16, 2016 by PaulVK

The human mind is particularly adapt at pattern recognition. It is this capacity that allows us to navigate a complex world making snap decisions about what is safe and unsafe, right and wrong. This is particularly true when it comes … Continue reading →

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Mental Health and CS Lewis Chronological Snobbery

Posted on March 31, 2016 by PaulVK

Mental Health in Pre-Urban Europe Yesterday I found a really cool piece in Slate Star Codex on mental illness. Among the many pleasures of that piece were some fascinating observations about mental illness prior to urbanization. Mental health care during the … Continue reading →

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Is an Idea Powerful Enough to be “God”

Posted on December 27, 2015 by PaulVK

Just read an article on Islamic feminism that a Bill Harris forwarded to me. Good piece in that it was disruptive asking questions that the standard paradigm is resisting. If you read the piece you get a sense of where … Continue reading →

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David Brooks how to Make an Isis Radical in Redlands CA

Posted on December 9, 2015 by PaulVK

NY Times following Eric Hoffer Brooks stops short by not asking “why isn’t a nice tract home, a middle class job, a new wife and a newborn baby enough?” Part of what unnerves Americans is the fear of this happening … Continue reading →

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15 Things To Do To Forget the Soul-Crushing Realities of this world if you have no real hope for it

Posted on December 4, 2015 by PaulVK

15 Things to do when the world is shitty and terrifying https://twitter.com/embeedub/status/672816985370136577 https://twitter.com/embeedub/status/672817776264937472 See also the conversation between Thabiti Anyabwil and Ta-Nehsisi Coates The message is the world can’t be fixed so the best you can do is some good around … Continue reading →

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Same Sex Marriage as Theological Crisis for the CRC

Posted on December 3, 2015 by PaulVK

The Standard Narrative of Progressive Liberationism Many Americans, Christian or not assume a narrative that lines up the following into a new American civil rights manifest destiny. In the American Civil War and Abolitionist movement American abolished slavery In the … Continue reading →

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Happy (Christian Liturgical) New Year!

Posted on November 29, 2015 by PaulVK

Ahhh, now we can all breath a sigh of relief. The priests of modern knowledge have established a narrative through which we can view the Planned Parenthood shooter. Finding the narrative, usually disguised as a “motive” is the first quest … Continue reading →

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Crown Him/Kill Him and the Buffered Self

Posted on November 21, 2015 by PaulVK

Either you'll have to "kill" Jesus or you'll have to crown him but the one thing you can't do is just say "What an interesting guy" — Timothy Keller (1950-2023) (@timkellernyc) November 21, 2015 I love Tim Keller. Listen to … Continue reading →

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Mutual of Oprah’s Wild Kingdom and the Limits of the Buffered Self

Posted on October 23, 2015 by PaulVK

Mutual of Oprah’s Wild Kingdom I’ve watched some of Oprah’s miniseries. The production values are very high. The presentation is beautiful and winsome. Care is clearly taken to allow the diverse religions and spiritualities to have their own voice The … Continue reading →

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Ironies in Cheering the End of Nominal Christianity

Posted on October 20, 2015 by PaulVK

End of Christian Nominalism in America In today’s Phil Vischer podcast they discussed (as usual) a number of things. One of the dynamics was the end of Christian nominalism in America. They referenced Russell Moore who along with others cheers the … Continue reading →

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