This is an argument very much worth having. Charles Krauthammer writes in The Weekly Standard: But if that is the case, then McCain embraces the same exceptions I do, but prefers to pretend he does not. If that is the case, then his much-touted and endlessly repeated absolutism on inhumane treatment . . . . Continue Reading »
Evaluating the “Caiaphas Ethic” of Charles Krauthammer “But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘you know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the . . . . Continue Reading »
Charles Krauthammer has written a timely and provocative piece critical of Senator John McCain’s effort to ban all forms of torture. In particular this debate regards whether “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment” should ever be used with detainees who operate outside the . . . . Continue Reading »
Looking back at World War I, Winston Churchill was moved to write: “When all was over, torture and cannibalism were the only two expedients that the civilized, scientific, Christian states had been able to deny themselves: and these were of doubtful utility.” The “Great War” . . . . Continue Reading »
Christians in America are being asked to support the war on terror. For Christians this means saying “yes” both to the proposed war and the methods waged to fight the war. Trying to decide the justice of your country’s proposed war and the methods used to wage it is not always an . . . . Continue Reading »
At The Corner, Marc Thiessen responded to my contention that his defense of torture is more in line with the tradition of Zeus and Odin than of Moses and Christ. I’m not surprised that he would take offense at such a suggestion, but since he is a Catholic I presumed he would provide a . . . . Continue Reading »
Yesterday, I posted about a bioethics article that advocated dropping human intrinsic dignity as a fundamental premise to be applied in bioethical analyses. This meme is profoundly dangerous to the medically vulnerable. Moreover and alas, human unexceptionalism is the mainstream view in . . . . Continue Reading »
Over the past few years we’ve seen controversies arise when ministers consider denying communion to unrepentant politicians. But there once was a time when pastors were so hardcore they were willing to refuse to give the sacrament to a contrite Founding Father . . . on his deathbed! Although . . . . Continue Reading »
Christopher Caldwell on how sentimental chronology skews our sense of time : Time may slow down from hour to hour, but from year to year it has a uniform tendency to accelerate. We can demonstrate this with a little game. We are now in the year 2010. Measure the number of years back to a certain . . . . Continue Reading »
No doubt the publication of a commentary on Genesis by our own R. R. Reno will be of interest to First Things readers. It’s the latest installment of the big Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series that he also oversees as general editor. The series has already stirred things up in . . . . Continue Reading »
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