Tag Archives: Secularism

Leadership: The Ethics of Leading, Being Effective, The Family as Foci

Bush was right when he exclaimed, “getting hammered is what happends when you take a principled stand.”  I often think of this in contrast to the ubiquity of ‘thought leadership’ and other catch-phrases indicative of branding. The problem is this: … Continue reading

Posted in Morality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger & The Strategy Of Enveloping Secularism

The ancient Christian writer Tertullian rhetorically asked “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem”?  The entire corpus of Christian humanism can be balanced on a critique of this one very divisive question.  Athens stands for reason, Jerusalem for faith. As … Continue reading

Posted in John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Promise Of Secular Life: Dystopic Mania For A Shapeless Freedom

Most Catholics can remember when Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) began criticizing the foundations of our capitalist ethic in admonishing the wests embrace of materialism.  He challenged us to become more by having less.  As a poet he understood the … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Tocqueville, Ethics, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Harry Jaffa, International Relations, John Paul II, Kant, Morality, Politics, Pope Benedict XVI, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Causes Of State Terror: 1789, Russia, Rawanda, The Vatican & American Exceptionalism

The ‘Reign of Terror’ that culminated in the French Revolution (1789), the Russian ‘Red Terror’ of Lenin and Stalin, African genocide in Rawanda, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, and legions of other rulers have embraced violence for political ends.  Where was … Continue reading

Posted in Alex Tocqueville, Arnold Toynbee, China, Constitution, Eric Voegelin, Harry Jaffa, International Relations, John Paul II, Morality, Politics, Raymond Aron, Satan/Evil, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment