The texts I reflect on illuminate core themes of Public Discourse’s work: cultivating a proper understanding of reason, appreciating the indispensability of moral formation, and framing law around eternal moral truths. I was deeply honored and delighted when R. J. Snell and the current editorial team invited me to join them as a contributing editor, and I look forward to more conversations to come.
Author: Micah Watson (Micah Watson)
How Do Christians Know When Their Understanding of Scriptural Teaching Needs to Change? Ten Questions to Consider.
We should be very wary of changing our minds about a teaching or practice that has been taught clearly, continuously, and authoritatively on the basis of scripture throughout the history and breadth of the Church. The following ten considerations can help us think carefully when friends inside or outside the Church ask us to reconsider what the Bible teaches.
C.S. Lewis and Aristotle on Civic Friendship
Aristotle described three types of friendship. In a season of increased polarization and even calls for incivility from national political leaders, perhaps we need a fourth.
Prisoners in the American Cave
Patrick Deneen’s Why Liberalism Failed is a provocative attempt to explain what’s wrong with our culture, how this came to be, and what might be done about it. Although his historical account of liberalism is unpersuasive, he offers a prescient analysis of the current moment and insightful prescriptions for constructive action.
The Best Defense Is a Good Offense: C.S. Lewis’s Abolition of Man
A new critical edition of Lewis’s 1943 classic adds a treasure trove of supplementary material. Lewis’s warnings about the consequences of jettisoning natural law remain as trenchant today as they were when delivered during the Second World War.
To Defend or Defund? Evangelicals Go Wobbly on Planned Parenthood, Public Justice, and Moral Judgment
Despite arguments to the contrary, pro-lifers simply cannot support federal funding for Planned Parenthood. If the price for a seat at the public justice table is taxpayer funding for the nation’s leading abortion provider, it may be time to think about another table.
“Conservative” Judicial Activism for Gay Marriage: With Amici Like These, Who Needs Enemies?
A group of distinguished conservative public servants, policy makers, and political operatives has signed an amicus brief saying the US Constitution requires the states to redefine marriage. They argue that this is the truly conservative position—but it takes quite a bit of logical contortion to accept their argument.
Neo vs. the Karate Kid
The Matrix and The Karate Kid offer two competing views of the relationship between how we learn and how we understand human nature.
John Locke and the Evangelical Retreat from Marriage
John Locke’s philosophy gives no support to those who would seek to endorse same-sex civil marriage.
Health, Safety, and Morals
Whether the case involves pornography or genocide, there are times when authorities must intervene to protect human interests.
Why We Can’t Help But Legislate Morality
All legislation is moral. The sooner we recognize this fact, the better.
Making Men Moral
Earlier this year scholars gathered at Union University for a conference considering the work of Robert P. George in his 1994 book Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality. One theme of the conference was how religion and reason can help us understand and promote the common good.
Is the Abortion Debate Over?
The philosophical debate about abortion has reached a welcome level of clarity. The pro-life movement must capitalize on recent gains in public policy and opinion by equipping their grass-roots supporters with winsome arguments and effective strategies to continue to cultivate a culture of life.