About John Horvat

John Horvat II is 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.

America Faces Problems That Refuse to Be Left Behind

By |2023-08-21T18:26:39-05:00August 28th, 2022|Categories: American Republic, Civil Society, John Horvat, Senior Contributors|

The American system is breaking down, forcing us to confront the problems that refuse to be left behind. But we can handle this crisis. All it takes is a change in perspective, embracing Christ’s Cross. The philosopher George Santayana (1863–1952) once observed that we Americans don’t solve problems: We leave them behind. If there’s an [...]

When People Greeted Each Other With Courtesy & Purpose

By |2022-07-24T15:36:16-05:00July 24th, 2022|Categories: Christianity, Civil Society, Civilization, Community, John Horvat|

A greeting is an act of humility and a gesture of justice, in which we give respect and honor due to others for who they are. Indeed, greetings constitute the fragrant perfume of a Christian civilization in which these things are valued. We live in brutal times without transitions. Everything must be instant and rushed, [...]

How Childhood Innocence Strikes Terror Into Drag Queens

By |2022-07-04T18:18:04-05:00July 4th, 2022|Categories: Christianity, Culture War, John Horvat, Wokeism|

The innocent child instinctively and implicitly knows what is good or bad, beautiful or ugly. Like the innocent child denouncing the emperor’s “new clothes,” he recognizes the drag queen as ugly and sinister as a wicked witch in a fairy tale. The child does not bend to the politically- correct opinions and says what he [...]

Want to Stop Mass Shootings? Bring Back the Father!

By |2022-06-18T15:32:36-05:00June 18th, 2022|Categories: Christianity, Community, Family, John Horvat|

In almost every single shooter case, a true Christian father is missing. By his example and counsel, the Christian father directs the boy to channel his energies and emotions into manly pursuits and virtuous action. Indeed, the devoted father provides society with a balanced young man who will defend society from attacks. Across the country, [...]

Why We Shouldn’t Fool With God’s Time

By |2022-04-19T15:01:11-05:00April 19th, 2022|Categories: Christianity, John Horvat, Time|

When the U.S. Senate recently voted to make daylight saving time permanent, I could not help but feel that something had been adulterated. Instead of respecting time and its Author, we dare to put ourselves at the center of things. The subject should not cause much debate since it appears to be a technical issue. [...]

Does the Ship ‘Endurance’ Have a Message for Our Times?

By |2022-03-27T17:56:27-05:00March 27th, 2022|Categories: Christendom, Heroism, John Horvat, Virtue|

One of the greatest adventure stories in exploration history was a dismal failure. The ill-fated voyage of the ship Endurance never reached its destination. However, the story of its heroic captain, Sir Ernest Shackleton, survives as a stirring inspiration for all time. The 1914 expedition sought to be the first to cross Antarctica. It failed [...]

Is There a Future for ‘Chitchat’ Checkouts?

By |2022-03-14T08:13:02-05:00March 13th, 2022|Categories: Civil Society, Community, Economics, John Horvat|

With so much buying happening online or through self-service kiosks, the art of shopping has lost much of its attraction. Some market-savvy executives have noticed this shortcoming and have recently introduced slow checkouts, which turn the routine chore into a meaningful experience. With so much buying happening online or through self-service kiosks, the art of [...]

Confronting the Powers of Darkness With the Faith of Naomi Wolf

By |2022-02-22T15:27:49-06:00February 23rd, 2022|Categories: Christianity, Evil, Existence of God, John Horvat|

The case of Naomi Wolf is a sign of our sinister times. We do not know whether she will develop her faith and embrace Church teachings. Such conversions are best left in the hands of God, Whose ways are mysterious and inscrutable. However, her desperate plea for help against the principalities and powers of darkness [...]

A “Not-Normal” 2022 Means It’s Time to Improvise & Dare

By |2021-12-30T11:18:16-06:00December 30th, 2021|Categories: Civilization, John Horvat, New Year's Day|

As we enter 2022, we must face a “not-normal” world that shows no signs of returning to order. Having the right “improvise-and-dare” attitude will enable us to survive. The beginning of the New Year should be a time of reflection and resolution. It is a turning point to consider where we have erred during the [...]

Three Gift Suggestions for an Uncertain Christmas

By |2021-12-09T10:18:18-06:00December 8th, 2021|Categories: Gifts for Imaginative Conservatives, John Horvat|

Let our gifts be enduring and endearing. Let them help us embrace the suffering of uncertain times. They should be imaginative gifts that strengthen our resolve to fight the good fight for our culture. If you are hesitant about gifts for loved ones this Christmas, you are in good company. Not only are many people [...]

The Marxist Worldview Behind the Spending Bill

By |2021-11-28T14:56:00-06:00November 28th, 2021|Categories: Civil Society, Economics, Government, Ideology, John Horvat|

Government programs cannot restore broken families and shattered communities. Only a moral regeneration of non-economic values can do this. The ravages of loneliness, despair, and suicide must be addressed by filling the spiritual voids that haunt people’s lives—and not by issuing government checks. The fight over the latest spending package is raging. Democrats are intent [...]

Celebrating Aaron Feuerstein: An Example of Selfless Generosity

By |2021-11-17T08:06:04-06:00November 16th, 2021|Categories: Audio/Video, Capitalism, Community, Free Markets, John Horvat, Labor/Work|

What made Aaron Feuerstein famous was not success but his attitude in the face of catastrophe. When a fire destroyed the textile mill he owned, he faced the decisions of whether to rebuild and whether to continue to pay his 1,400 workers, who were left destitute in the dead of winter. His decision became a [...]

On ‘Originalist’ Judges Who Deny Natural Law

By |2021-11-08T15:33:02-06:00November 8th, 2021|Categories: John Horvat, Natural Law, Supreme Court|

Conservatives are rightly disappointed when judges they appointed betray their principles in favor of a legal model without a moral compass. They cannot understand how they find unknown “rights” and “freedoms” in the name of a misdirected constitutionalism that ignores the firm foundation of fundamental truths based on tradition and morals. Modern law has a [...]

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