Joe Carter

Yesterday marked the centennial anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, an offshoot of a movement which began in Britain under the leadership of General Robert Baden-Powell and was brought to America by publisher William Boyce… . Continue Reading »

Today marks the centennial anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, an offshoot of a movement which began in Britain under the leadership of General Robert Baden-Powell and was brought to America by publisher William Boyce. It’s fitting that a publisher established the institution since it . . . . Continue Reading »

Last night’s Superbowl broadcast was one of the most violent in recent memory. No, not the game—the commercials. Apparently, advertisers get their ideas about how to market to us from watching the Ain’t-It-Funny-When-Someone-Gets-Hurt clips on America’s Funniest Home Videos . . . . . Continue Reading »

R.J. Snell, professor of philosophy and Director of Eastern University’s philosophy program, responds to the critics of the Manhattan Declaration who believe that “the natural law forgets sin and thus depreciates the necessity of Christ and the supremacy of Scripture”: There is no . . . . Continue Reading »

While I share Andrew’s concern , I suspect this latest evangelical trend isn’t all that trendy. As Slate ‘s Jack Shafer points out , “The Times accepts estimates from pastors who figure that 700 of the nation’s 115,000 white evangelical churches have taken up mixed . . . . Continue Reading »

Hanging in my office at home are several variations of Jasper Johns’ paintings of the American flag. Few people ever see them and those that do rarely comment, so I’m not sure what they think about the art. Do they believe the reproductions are intended to be ironic, hyper-patriotic, . . . . Continue Reading »

Recent science news from around our weird universe. Why the First Cowboy To Draw Always Gets Shot Have you ever noticed that the first cowboy to draw his gun in a Hollywood Western is invariably the one to get shot? Nobel prize–winning physicist Niels Bohr did, once arranging mock duels to . . . . Continue Reading »

A recent poll of self-identified Republicans showed a large majority— 63 percent —believe that President Obama is a “socialist.” I always cringe when I hear people throw around the “s” word since it seems to be used more as an insult than as an intentionally . . . . Continue Reading »

[Note: Every Friday on First Thoughts we host heated, half-serious, half-cocked arguments about some aspect of pop culture. Today’s theme, in honor of Sunday’s game, is Super Bowl commercials. Have a suggestion for a topic? Send them to me at jcarter@firstthings.com ] Contrary to the . . . . Continue Reading »

Slate shows what the Super Bowl would look like if it were directed by Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, Jean-Luc Godard, or Werner Herzog. . . . . Continue Reading »