As we aim for peaceable discussion and principled consensus concerning human flourishing in a pluralistic society, awareness of ideological influences is important for clarity and conversation. So much public discourse is talking around or over one another, instead of thoughtful engagement of issues.
Thank you for your desire for thoughtful reflection. My aim is the renewal of civil and insightful conversation in the public square. My life has been shaped by positive examples of women and men fiercely debating important issues without personal insults. I have been influenced as well by historical analysis of three centuries of political, religious, and social diversity within a framework of mutual respect. As mentioned in my first letter, America’s founding affirmations of freedom of religion and redress, assembly and speech are a positive historical influence.
As a public intellectual I am often asked what I think are the most important moral and social issues of our day. And there are many. My starting point is always reverence for God and response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Humankind, unique among all animate creation, is deeply spiritual and we will only find our true identity and purpose when we surrender our sovereignty to King Jesus. St. Augustine, in his opening lines of Confessions, was correct when we declared, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
Hello friends! It has been months since I have posted. This pause was deliberate. I wanted to let some time go by and see the consequences of the 2024 elections (It is plural because Americans elected thousands of public servants, not just a President) in the USA and some of the international leadership decisions in various places of conflict and change.
