How shall we live? Where do we find the resources for living well? In this episode, historian Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn examines the reappearance of ancient philosophical thought in contemporary American culture. She argues that we need to take back philosophy as...
ethics
Syndicate Symposium: “Sins and Virtues in American Public Life”
Over at “Syndicate,” Dartmouth religion professor Jeremy Sabella has put together a symposium on the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride), the Four Cardinal Virtues (prudence, courage, temperance, and justice), and the theological virtues of...
Moral reflection in the doing and teaching of history (part two). Or is *Believe Me* a work of history?
Read part one here. This post is adapted from Why Study History: Reflecting on the Importance of the Past. Here are five suggestions for those who want to pursue Robert Gleason’s idea that the historian should always ask whether or not...
Should We Choose the Economy or the Life of Senior Citizens? Ethicists Respond
I can’t believe we are asking this question right now. It seems like some kind of dystopian movie. Sadly, it is Christians who seem to be taking the lead here. See our post on R.R. Reno here. By this point...
Gerson: “This is a world where ethical rules count for nothing. A world where character is for chumps.”
Here is the latest from Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson: With the impeachment trial of President Trump beginning in earnest, right-wing populism has come full circle. Trump was elected on the theory that American politics had become corrupt and broken. Now...
Some More Thoughts on the Populist Critique of “Elite Evangelicals”
For most evangelical Christians, the message of the Gospel transcends the identity categories we place on human beings. All men and women are sinners in need of redemption. Citizenship in the Kingdom of God, made possible by Jesus’s death and...
Wayne Grudem Lives in a Different Moral Universe Than I Do
In case you missed it, evangelical theologian Wayne Grudem has turned to the politically conservative website Townhall to defend Donald Trump and criticize Mark Galli’s Christianity Today editorial. Grudem begins: Galli gives six reasons why Trump should be removed, either by impeachment...
What Did Theologians and Ethicists Say About Bill Clinton’s Impeachment in 1998?
Today I was talking to a reporter about impeachment and recalled a statement issued in 1998 by prominent American theologians and ethicists. A really interesting mix of evangelical and non-evangelical moral philosophers signed this statement. I have copied it below....
Is Paula White Bringing Her “Ponzi Scheme” to the White House?
Many of you recall that court evangelical and prosperity preacher Paula White is now working in the White House. Learn more here. Former George W. Bush Administration ethics lawyer Richard Painter suggests that White is using her new position in...
Marianne Williamson is Right. We Have a Gun Problem AND a Culture Problem
I am getting tired of the way the gun debate plays out in the wake of mass shootings. Everyone tries to score political points or use the deaths of innocent lives to advance their own agendas. For example, here is...
“Throwaway Culture”
I am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of Charles Camosy‘s new book Resisting Throwaway Culture: How a Consistent Life Ethic Can United a Fractured People. Camosy offers us a small glimpse of his argument in a...
“It seems strange that a university would praise an employee for helping to rig online polls”
Inside Higher Ed is running a follow-up story on the Liberty University Chief Information Officer who accepted a bag of cash from Michael Cohen in exchange for rigging online polls to make Donald Trump look like a successful businessman. We covered...
Hey Liberty University, This is What Happens When You Get Into Bed with Donald Trump and “All the Best People” Who Work for Him
A top-level administrator at one of the largest universities in the world rigged online polls to promote Donald Trump as a great businessman. These polls were used to puff Trump in preparation for his presidential run. Cohen paid John Gauger,...
*The New Republic* Weighs-In on American Missionary John Allen Chau
Yesterday I posted Kate Carte’s twitter thread on the connections between the missionary killed by an indigenous tribe on North Sentinel Island and the American celebration of Thanksgiving. Read the post here. Over at The New Republic, Ryu Spaeth provides...
Paige Patterson and Richard Land Will Co-Teach an Ethics Course
Yes, you read the headline correctly. Paige Patterson, who was ousted at Southwestern Theological Seminary for dismissing women’s concerns about domestic abuse and rape (see our coverage here), is teaching an ethics course at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North...
Scott Pruitt on “Providence” and “Blessings”
Scott Pruitt has resigned as Director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump announced the resignation via Twitter. Here is his letter of resignation: Mr. President, it has been an honor to serve you in the Cabinet as Administrator of the...
Trump Evangelicals Line-Up Behind Scott Pruitt
Scott Pruitt’s ethical problems are abundant. Here is how Aaron Weaver describes them in his recent piece at Sojourners: A $50-a-night condo deal from a lobbyist pal. More than $100,000 for first class airfare and $40,000 on a soundproof phone booth. A twenty person 24-hour protective...
Randall Balmer on the Christian Right’s Changing Code of Ethics
Randall Balmer, a lifelong observer of American evangelicalism, reflects on the “flexible” values of the Christian Right. Here is a summary of Balmer’s sense of the “new” Christian Right ethical code: “Lying is all right as long as it serves...
Do You Trust Your Pastor?
According to a recent Gallup poll, 48% of Christians trust members of the clergy. This means that they have more trust in nurses, military officers, grade school teachers, medical doctors, pharmacists, and police officers. Here is a brief summary: WASHINGTON,...
Evangelicals Have Suddenly Become More Forgiving of the Sins of Elected Officials
Hmm…. I wonder what explains this? Back in 2011, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) asked voters if “an elected official who commits and immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their...