Not by Beauty Alone

June 19, 2025 • by J.C. Scharl

Not by Beauty Alone

Latest Posts

June 18, 2025

A Modest Proposal from a European Conservative

I come in peace—don’t shoot. I’m one of yours. As a Spanish conservative committed to building a politically robust and intellectually vibrant movement across Europe, this has become my default opening line—sometimes stated outright, sometimes implied—in private meetings and public speeches abroad. Continue Reading...
June 17, 2025

Fight for the First Amendment

Over the vociferous dissent of Justice Neil Gorsuch, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in Apache Stronghold v. United States. The case, which has rattled around federal courts in the Ninth Circuit for about a decade, is focused on the fate of a tract of land known as Oak Flat in Arizona. Continue Reading...
June 13, 2025

Of Fathers and Friends

Every man needs a father and friends. Sadly, both seem to be in short supply these days. My own father is a great man. He’s not perfect, famous, educated, or wealthy. Continue Reading...
June 12, 2025

How Three Cinematic Jesuses Explain American Divisions

Although Americans disagree on almost everything, most of us still really love Jesus. According to a 2023 Barna study, 71% of Americans have a positive view of Jesus. This includes 84% of Christians (which raises questions about the other 26%), 58% of adherents of other faiths, and 40% of those with no faith. Continue Reading...
June 09, 2025

“Our Nation Is No Accident”

A band of desperate religious refugees find themselves blown hopelessly off course, only to be deposited at the one spot on a wild continent best suited for their survival. George Washington’s beaten army, surrounded by a ruthless foe and on the verge of annihilation, manages an impossible escape due to a freakish change in the weather. Continue Reading...
June 05, 2025

The Curious Task of ‘Abundance’

In their new and highly anticipated book, Abundance, Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, both journalists and bestselling authors who align ideologically with the political left and American liberalism, refreshingly advocate for growth and abundance. Continue Reading...
June 04, 2025

Liberalism All the Way Down

In 2009, the economist Tyler Cowen began a TEDx Talk in open subversion of the format, telling the audience: “I was told to come here and tell you all stories, but what I’d like to do is instead tell you why I’m suspicious of stories. Continue Reading...
June 03, 2025

The Startling History of Capitol Hill Baptist Church

Whether in the Southern Baptist Convention or the American evangelical movement more broadly, the past 10 years have been rife with political and cultural controversy. Broader shifts in the direction of extreme polarization have infected the church perhaps more than any other social institution. Continue Reading...