Phil Steiger
The columnist James Bartholomew claims to have coined the term, “virtue signalling.” He writes: To my astonishment and delight, the phrase ‘virtue signalling’ has become part of the English language. I coined the phrase in an article here in The Spectator (18 April [2015]) in which I described the way in which many people say... Continue Reading →
“We need a combination of supreme moral sensitivity and economic knowledge. Economically ignorant moralism is as objectionable as morally callous economism.” Wilhelm Röpke, A Humane Economy Wilhelm Röpke (1899-1966) deserves a shot at the title: “The Most Influential Economist You Never Heard Of.” A citizen of Germany and decorated veteran of World War I, he... Continue Reading →
I have been talking a lot about sex lately. Maybe a better way to put that is that I have been talking a lot about the ethics and dynamics of human sexuality lately. But when I tell folks I am going to talk about human sexuality they often think I’m going to give them “the... Continue Reading →
#trending -All people of all ages have been sexualized by Western culture. Those in cahoots with the “sexual revolution” will disagree, but I would argue they don’t yet understand the consequences of their sexual ethic. There is no logical stopping point to the current sexual ethic. There is no taboo that is off-limits. The only... Continue Reading →
This series of posts are intended to be short thoughts on trends I see in the culture and church, both positive and negative. Given my cheery disposition, they will likely end up being mostly trending problems I see. These are not fully developed arguments, but the seeds of arguments. They are a placeholder for my... Continue Reading →
It is not at all uncommon to hear modern critiques of capitalism citing “greed” as the root problem. Capitalism is sometimes defined as greed. Often it is said that capitalism cannot work without greed. In the movie Wall Street, the character Gordon Gekko pontificates, “Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is... Continue Reading →
Our culture is wrestling with some big-picture economic questions. As polls show us, we are in a fairly precipitous slide toward the acceptance of socialism as a kind of universal panacea for culture’s ills. Having spent the first four years of my University education in economics, I am usually baffled by the general popularity of... Continue Reading →
Around every Easter some large news item or set of columns make their way to the surface in which a few journalists tackle the intransigent Christian faith, especially the resurrection of Jesus. The point is always some version of the same idea – how crazy are those people who believe in the resurrection? Interviews are... Continue Reading →
If you spend a fair amount of time reading books and articles on the state of the local, evangelical church, you might come away with some pretty negative perceptions. Pastors who read a lot of this kind of stuff can also come away with the sense that if they are not trying to accomplish a... Continue Reading →
