WRITING
Scientists and Superstitious Simpletons
I am sick and tired of hearing about the supposed “objectivity” of science and scientific inquiry. The claim goes like this: Belief systems, whether religious or secular, deal in supernatural issues like the afterlife, morality, and the state of the soul. Science, on the other hand, deals in brute facts, and therefore needs to be […]
All the World’s a Stage Office
Those who go to Starbucks regularly (as I do) surely know that they can be obsessed with creating a mood, a vibe, an overall feel for the establishment. They purport to be a “third place” beyond home or work, a community hub where ideas can be bandied about and discussed. But I have noticed a […]
Trans-Jenner
I realize Caitlyn Jenner has been discussed ad nauseam by this point, but I would like to weigh in from a slightly different angle. I fully recognize that in some rare cases a person’s sex may not comport with their gender identification. For example, hermaphrodites (or “intersex” people) who were born with both sets of […]
Bang Bang, You’re Dead
I was having dinner with some friends a couple nights ago, and the issue of guns came up. In such situations I often insist (jokingly, with tongue in cheek) that I just wish Obama would burst through our doors with a battering ram and personally confiscate all our guns so that we’d finally be safe. […]
Fake Plastic Selves
One of the most unfortunate phrases in the English language is “He’s only human.” The assumption lurking behind it is that humanity is akin to weakness, like a crutch, and is therefore something to be ashamed of. I touch on this in the book I am currently writing: A proper Christology reminds us that receiving heavenly […]