About John Horvat

John Horvat II is Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative and a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker, and author of the book Return to Order, as well as the author of hundreds of published essays. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, where he is the vice president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property.

Christmas Gifts That Will Help Your Children Get to Heaven

By |2020-12-18T20:46:26-06:00December 21st, 2018|Categories: Christmas, Gifts for Imaginative Conservatives, John Horvat|

Toys should reflect the innocent desire of children to know God by admiring His Creation. They should spark the imagination to desire marvelous and wondrous things. They should ultimately lead to the love of God and a desire for Heaven. For those agonizing over what to buy this Christmas for their toddlers, the wait may [...]

Gift Challenges for Imaginative Conservatives

By |2020-12-28T13:56:50-06:00December 10th, 2018|Categories: Beauty, Christmas, Culture, Culture War, Gifts for Imaginative Conservatives, John Horvat|

Not unlike the times of Our Lord, we live in the paradox of a world in disorder yet under the appearance of order. Beneath the veneer of optimism and prosperity, many people experience lives of trial and suffering due to the lifestyles of frenetic intemperance they have adopted. […]

How Do We Restore the American Order?

By |2020-04-02T01:50:26-05:00November 25th, 2018|Categories: American Republic, Civilization, Culture War, Freedom, John Horvat, Ordered Liberty|

This is America’s tragic situation: The unifying framework of the American creed is now broken. The result is an America that is coming apart. On every American coin, there is the Latin expression, e pluribus unum, meaning “one out of many.” The motto is a celebration of the variety found in America expressed by different [...]

The Battle of Empty Minds: Can’t Anyone See Beyond the Hatred?

By |2018-11-16T00:51:51-06:00November 11th, 2018|Categories: Ideology, John Horvat, Modernity, Social Order|

Contrary to popular belief, the more violent Leftists are not fanatics drawn to an extremist ideology who see themselves as its foot soldiers. They are souls full of emptiness, inhabiting a world of chaos and darkness. More often than not, they will end their lives with nihilistic fury and flourish… The rash of violence leading [...]

That Other Invasion of Europe: Tourists

By |2020-08-31T16:41:41-05:00September 27th, 2018|Categories: Culture, Europe|

Past invaders killed locals and despoiled Europe of its riches. The new tourist invaders take away the soul of a culture and replace it with the frenetic intemperance of a world gone awry. Hordes of people are descending on Europe, destroying local cultures and straining infrastructure. They are descending upon picturesque villages and public squares. [...]

Finding the Beauty of the Church & the Route Back Home

By |2018-09-08T22:31:42-05:00September 8th, 2018|Categories: Books, Catholicism, Christianity|

In these times of great trials for the Church, it does good to souls to contemplate the sublime beauty of the Church in all its splendor and hierarchy. Gazing upon Her beauty, it serves to solidify the certainty that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic... En Route by J.K. Huysmans (658 pages, Ex Fontibus Company, [...]

The Church and the Marketplace

By |2018-08-17T11:39:59-05:00August 18th, 2018|Categories: Catholicism, Economics, John Horvat|

I fear for the time when all vestiges of the Church are scrubbed from economy. Then there will be no more familial caregivers. The family will be reduced to a mere collection of selfish individuals. The moral law will be erased by the unbridled passions of frenetic markets… The adjective Catholic is rarely employed to describe [...]

The Mouse That Roared & Defeated Walmart

By |2018-07-24T10:02:47-05:00July 23rd, 2018|Categories: Economics, John Horvat, Social Order|

Everyone is taught to believe that gigantic retailers are the most efficient distributors of goods to the general public. Small stores may be able to fill tiny niches. They may be quaint and picturesque. However, only the gigantic retailers have the capital and economy of scale to offer everyday lower prices and variety to the [...]

Mending Walls: Why Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

By |2020-03-25T12:37:16-05:00July 8th, 2018|Categories: Civil Society, Community, Immigration, John Horvat, Robert Frost, St. Thomas Aquinas|

The liberal rage against the border wall has much to do with the nature of boundaries. Walls, borders, and fences are manifestations of restraint. Fallen humanity naturally resists the restraints of order that keep the unbridled passions under control. Walls are needed to keep the peace… “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” wrote [...]

Why Society Needs to Cultivate a True Elite Class

By |2022-10-10T11:39:10-05:00June 26th, 2018|Categories: Civil Society, Culture, John Horvat, Leadership, Social Order|

All healthy societies must have elites. The real question is: How do we cultivate true elites who will fully carry out their proper role in society? The problem with our present, meritocratic elites is that they do not know how to carry out these obligations. There was a time when the nation was ruled by [...]

The Druids Return to Ireland

By |2021-03-16T00:46:53-05:00May 28th, 2018|Categories: Abortion, Catholicism, Christianity, Ireland|

There is nothing new in the present battle for the soul of Ireland. Throughout its history, the struggle for the Irish soul has always been over its Druids. What is needed are fiery souls that will contest not just social issues, but all the neo-Druid falsehoods that undermine the Faith. The abortion referendum in Ireland [...]

A Message to Graduating Seniors: Graduate to a Higher Calling

By |2022-05-14T13:11:30-05:00May 24th, 2018|Categories: Character, Christianity, Community, Culture, Education, Graduation, John Horvat|

While graduation should be a time of celebration, it should also be a time when young people are encouraged to ponder, discern, and “graduate” to that higher calling that corresponds to the desires of their restless hearts. It is that time of the year again when students graduate from their high schools and colleges. The [...]

Can Jordan Peterson Lead Us to God?

By |2020-02-24T17:13:53-06:00April 29th, 2018|Categories: Books, Christianity, Culture, John Horvat|

In 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson raises important questions about postmodern society and provides much-needed notions about responsibility and religion, but can he take you any further? Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos is not an ordinary book. You like the fact that it attacks the prevailing politically-correct society and challenges [...]

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