Post Tagged 'modernity'

November 25, 2025

Rage Against the Machine. Or Don’t.

It’s unusual to be in the situation of reviewing a book no one will like. I don’t mean that literally; a handful of people will appreciate Paul Kingsnorth’s new book, Against the Machine, probably the same people who have followed his work for the past decade. Continue Reading...

January 29, 2025

The Matrix or Lord of the Rings. Choose Wisely.

Is life worth living? Are the forms of Western life conducive to happiness? These questions are best asked in the form of a novel, and raising such questions is Michel Houellebecq’s strength. Continue Reading...

July 19, 2017

Crisis in Europe calls for a ‘creative minority’

Recently at Acton University, Samuel Gregg opened his lecture “Benedict XVI and the Crisis of Europe” by diving into the etymology of “crisis.” It comes from the Greek word krisis, which marks the point at which an illness has reached its peak. Continue Reading...

January 11, 2017

The challenge of modernity: Os Guinness on the church and civilization

The modern world has introduced a wide array of fruits and freedoms, yet it also brings with it new tensions and temptations. Whether in family, business, education, or government, the expansion of opportunity and choice require heightened levels of individual wisdom, discernment and intentionality. Continue Reading...

October 11, 2016

Christianity and Liberalism

Over at the Gospel Coalition last week I reviewed Larry Siedentop’s Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism. As I conclude, “The story he tells is true, but at some points only half-true. Continue Reading...

July 08, 2016

Stewarding Retirement: Why a Christian’s Work Never Ends

As Christians in the modern economy, we face a constant temptation to limit our work and stewardship to the temporal and the material, focusing only on “putting in our 40,” working for the next paycheck, and tucking away enough cash for a cozy retirement. Continue Reading...

August 12, 2015

Marriage as Cornerstone: How the Family Is a Foundation for Flourishing

With the expansion of economic freedom and the resulting prosperity, we’ve reached an unprecedented position of personal empowerment and vocational choice. This is a welcome development, and it can be seized for good in any number of ways. Continue Reading...

October 03, 2014

Against Transactional Parenting: Children Aren’t Toasters or Minivans

Having already shrugged my shoulders at our society’s peculiar paranoia over whether having kids is “too expensive,” I was delighted to see Rich Cromwell take up the question at The Federalist, pointing out what is only recently the not-so-obvious. Continue Reading...

September 12, 2011

Samuel Gregg: Pope’s Work Cut out for Him in Germany

Director of Research Samuel Gregg has written a special report for the American Spectator about Benedict XVI’s upcoming trip to Germany. The recent World Youth Day in Spain may have looked like a bigger challenge for Benedict, but Gregg says that Germany, while its economy looks good, is facing rough seas ahead. Continue Reading...