Everyone has an explanation for the turn of events in November. It’s the economy, the culture, a failure to connect with working-class Americans. All these are valid reasons. However, I have my own explanation that sheds some light on what has gone wrong in America. It explains something of the craziness of our times. I [...]
Architects and homeowners have long assumed that the only way to keep houses cool and comfortable is to equip them with central air conditioning. However, as electric rates increase, many homeowners are looking for alternatives, especially in very hot climate zones. Some have resorted to so-called passive homes that rely upon massive amounts of insulation, [...]
What makes this election year so strange is a greater shift away from reality. The election seems like a show, not a civic duty. Candidates are more like actors than future public servants. It all seems so staged. Everything is choreographed to improve poll numbers and ignore issues. However, the main reason things are surreal [...]
Among the religious orders dedicated to the contemplative life, the Carmelites have a special role. Carmelite convents are found all over the world. They have given the Church countless saints and models. Many Carmelite convents are now in crisis because they have no vocations. The nuns are dying off. Convent after convent is closing. Each [...]
Most people don’t have a problem with some of the Ten Commandments. There are atheists, for example, who will admit that one should not kill, steal, or lie. Thus, posting those specific Commandments in public classrooms or buildings would pose no problem. The problems begin with the First and most important Commandment, which deals with [...]
In the name of liberation from authority, liberalism imposes an amoral, secular, and nonmetaphysical model on nations in which God has no official role. This model entered modernity without being voted upon or chosen by populations. It is an assumed mentality that all must adopt outwardly to be considered part of the modern world. Woe [...]
Fareed Zakaria’s book is a defense of liberalism in the European sense of a regime of limited government, free markets, rule of law, moral indifference, maximized freedom, and unending progress. He turns all those who support the conservative cause into resentful, racist individuals left behind by progress. Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash From 1600 [...]
The god of sports has long bowed before the god of woke. Everything is allowed to the activists who promote bended knees, pride nights, and alternative national anthems. But, as the left's reaction to Harrison Butker's recent commencement speech shows, nothing is allowed for the God of Hosts. The controversy over Harrison Butker’s fiery commencement [...]
This year's graduates must accept the challenge of being thrust into this world of sin and disorder and the obligation to fight for Christian order. At this point, it is not an option but a matter of survival in an interrupted world. One thing that characterizes the Class of 2024 is that it has suffered [...]
As the plane landed, my fascinating conversation with the lady with the hat ended. It was like a window into a sector of the American public normally not engaged in the culture war. The incident gave me insight into what might be happening beneath the surface of the material paradises that dot the national landscape. [...]
America must turn to that family-centered, community-based society that is anchored in God and a morality based on His law. Now is the time to gather the nation around unifying principles, not shatter it into millions of individualistic shards. Some traditional-minded Americans use a horrible metaphor to describe an outcome they desire for the nation. [...]
All social entities or movements need dreams, which can be defined as an indispensable capacity to envision a future for themselves that considers both the practical means at hand and a higher ideal. Societies that do not dream are doomed to die. The left faces a new challenge that is leaving its activists troubled. Over [...]
Recent elections in Holland, Sweden, Italy and Argentina have given victories to a new type of conservative leader based on a faulty premise. Some Christians hold that the only way to fight against godless and immoral times is with godless leaders who practice no established religion and follow no set rules. Only these outside mavericks [...]
Consequential religion strikes fear in those who tragically have no faith. When they see that some believe firmly in a loving and Almighty God who takes an active role in worldly affairs, they sense the power of religion, and they suddenly become irrelevant. We live in times of inconsequential religion. That means most people do [...]