As we all know our nation has become dangerously polarized.  It is no longer possible to engage in honest debate without being accused of possessing a phobia, being an “-ist,”  or subscribing to an “-ism.” That ends the dialog. As such you must therefore be silenced and banished from the public square. In some cases the recommended penalty is death.

This recent address by British philosopher Roger Scruton offers compelling insight as to how these conditions develop.  He traces them to our great need as human beings to belong. We derive our identity and security from this belonging.  People are willing to kill in order to defend the notions on which their identities rely, especially if those notions are felt to be vulnerable to rational inquiry. Ironically people will fight harder to protect a lie from the truth than vice versa. I think you will find this fascinating.

This is hot off the press today, June 21st.  I hope you will take the time to read through it carefully.  It is full of encouragement and vision for the future.  I was particularly fascinated by the dialog and growing relationships between the ACNA and other like-minded churches.  His concluding exhortations are prophetic and penetrating.  We are blessed to have such godly leadership.

I thought our time of sharing yesterday during Adult Ed was wonderful.  Thanks to all who gave tributes to their fathers.

I was particularly struck by Devon’s strong word of encouragement about supporting fathers in their challenging role, especially in today’s culture which seems dedicated to making fathers look ridiculous and redundant.  Here is a great article along those lines.

Dads, Don’t Go | Joe Carter | First Things

This article is insightful and timely.  Here is the first paragraph:

Hate. It’s a word many have used to describe Omar Mateen’s slaughter of fifty people at an Orlando nightclub. A radicalized Muslim who declared his allegiance to ISIS committed an “act of hate,” as President Obama says. Like the overused “tragedy” (I’ll save that polemic for another time), “hate” obscures, rather than clarifies, what’s at stake. It directs our attention to strong emotions and abnormal mental states. It distracts us from the fact that our enemy has formulated a rational, political judgment—namely that humanity is better off if an Islamic form of government, rather than the United States, dominates the world. Click to continue.

Christopher West is a remarkable young Roman Catholic “evangelist”.  I don’t know what else to call him.  He is a layman.  He’s not really a scholar in the usual sense.  He’s on the road constantly proclaiming the gospel.  His focus is reclaiming a vibrant understanding of Godly sexuality and marriage that leads to LIFE.  I first heard him speak at the ACNA 2013 Assembly.  His seminar changed my (our) life.  I subscribe to his blog.  See what you think of today’s post below.  And if you have time check out some of the others.  They are short and full of insight.

156. In Christ There Is Not Male or Female

In this Sunday’s second reading Saint Paul proclaims, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The modern world promotes neuteredness. Wouldn’t this seem to be a biblical justification? Well, look at Paul’s conclusion: there’s no longer male or female because they are “one in Christ Jesus.” How do the two (male and female) become one in Christ Jesus? “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” Saint Paul quotes this in his Letter to the Ephesians and then adds: “This is a great mystery, and it refers to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5:31-32). Sexual union symbolizes union in Christ. But the only way the two can become one is via the sexual difference. Thus, St. Paul is not leveling that difference. Rather, he’s showing the fruit of that difference properly lived: unity in Christ. The great danger of neuteredness is that we fail to see the divine mystery written in the sexual difference. And that’s precisely why the devil is after our sexuality: to nullify the divine message it proclaims.

I thought this post had a lot of valuable insight and encouragement for us.  See what you think.