This question, of America being the world’s last and best hope, implies that the world is in need of hope—possibly salvation—because of a necessary political decline without some redeemer nation. It also necessarily implies that one nation is, be it America or not, a final hope. And finally, this question insinuates that there may be something remarkable about America’s regime to make it worth considering the world’s hope. Two of these statements are highly improbable and quite irrational, but one is true (though perhaps not for the reasons intended).

The possibility of the world needing a political savior seems not only probable, but also verifiably true. After all, the history of the world consists of generation after generation of leaders crippled by their sin and humanity, only occasionally overcoming their natures to provide justice for their communities. Because the likelihood of...

[Pt. 5]

I recently saw the movie, Noah. Without diving into the strengths or weaknesses of the film, I want to focus on the most compelling moment in the film. Noah believes God wants mankind to end with his family, and so he feels painfully obligated to kill his two newly born grandchildren. As Noah holds his knife above their heads, he faces a choice. He must choose between the swelling love in his heart for these precious gifts, and the duty he thinks God has put upon him.

Though the biological relationship between a grandfather and his grandchildren is much more unique and intimate between a politician and his constituency, the choices our nation’s leaders face carry similar gravity. It may not always be between life and death, but it is always between the flourishing of some over others.

My empathy for the choices these individuals have to make is what inspires me to always...

[Pt. 4]

The ABC show, Scandal, is an attempt at exposing (from one person’s anxious imagination) the discrepancy between the appearance of, and the truth behind, the way American government works. Though poorly written and melodramatically acted, Scandal delves into the very roughest aspects of politics attempting to do justice.

In a recent episode titled “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” Olivia Pope, a political “fixer” in Washington D.C., questions the basic assumption that anyone can protect justice. The writers of Scandal created a fictitious government organization named B6-13 that exists to “protect the republic” by doing the dirty work of preserving its image in the public eye. In this episode, B6-13 kills three reporters who threatened to expose the Vice President’s criminal history.

The characters in the episode try to justify that B6-13 is really a force to add power and protect...

[Pt. 3]

Imagine a land without liberty. Imagine a land stricken with tyrannical leadership. Imagine a land that forgot its history and its Constitution. Imagine America.

This was essentially what Senator Rand Paul claimed was the state of America in his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He used his speech to prove the growth of a younger constituency within the Republican Party tending slightly more toward a Libertarian philosophy.

Sen. Paul tried to paint a dismal picture of America in the present. He presumed the past (the time when the Founding Fathers roamed the earth) was the age of truth and freedom. His picture of America today is one in which people are not free, the government is run on ego, not principles, and tyranny is about to rule.

In a typical conservative manner, Sen. Paul presumed that America was once great (though he gave no measures...

[Pt. 2]

Somewhere between writing the answers to “5 Questions Guys Are Too Embarrassed to Ask” and writing quizzes to test your knowledge of basic U.S. Geography, Buzzfeed finds time to write about politics. In particular, one writer covered the up and coming career of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

The very fact that this article exists on their site is (probably) an attempt at justifying the site as more than just every college student’s procrastination destination. (Feel free to forward that as a tagline idea to their marketing department.) This also means that most twenty-somethings will read this as hard news.

The article’s thesis centers on Sen. Gillibrand being a good influence in the Senate for two main reasons: she advances the Democratic mission with her penchant for fundraising, and she is a woman (specifically, the protégée of Hilary Clinton).

The text implies that the...

[Pt. 1]

Being a contrarian as an end in itself will get you nowhere in life. But if I’ve learned nothing from else from my liberal arts education, it’s that you will also go nowhere without the ability to think critically.

For millenials in a postmodern age, we’ve taken critical thinking to mean hyper suspicion of everything. We don’t believe product reviews, we don’t buy into traditional advertising methods, and we certainly don’t trust people in leadership. The only thing we know certainly is that facades are ubiquitous.

The political arena is the perfect case study for this hyper-awareness. Over the course of the next five pieces, I’m going to use a mixture of Jacques Derrida’s method of deconstruction, Jean-François Lytoard’s understanding of metanarrative, and Michel Foucault’s philosophy of hierarchy to illuminate the assumptions pervading the political conversation in America...

Art Connection

Grace by Eric Enstrom

This week, the Supreme Court of the United States denied the petition of Elane Photography, a small business in New Mexico. Elane Photography was petitioning SCOTUS because the owners were penalized in New Mexico for denying photography services at a same-sex wedding. Elane Photography hoped that an appeal to its First Amendment right of free speech would set a precedent for other state courts hearing cases about this issue.

This year, the following cases were seen in state courts across America:

–a t-shirt printer wouldn’t print a design ordered by a group to be used at a gay pride parade

–a baker refused making wedding cake toppers of gay couples

–a florist denied arrangement services for a gay wedding

While I could spend this whole piece discussing the scope of the law and and constitutional rights of these businesses, I will only touch that...

[Art Connection]

“Dream” by Priscilla Ahn

Growing up in Texas (a.k.a. the “Bible Belt”), “feminism" was like a curse word to me.

I associated it with women who wanted to “smash patriarchy” and probably didn’t shave as a way to stick it to the man (poor guy). It didn’t help that I attended conservative Baptist churches where specific gender roles were promulgated and feminists were painted as “a little too radical for my likin’.”

My parents constantly told me to pursue whatever God had for me. That’s really the only reason I moved to New York alone at 19, wanted a high GPA, and sustainable career helping people in the arts. Initially, I was the one at my Christian college who judged students who were brave enough to call themselves “the f word”. I thought they must be women who just had a bad breakup and didn’t understand their Biblical responsibilities. But like many philosophical...

[Art Connection]

Raising Hope, “Para-Natesville Activity”

Several of you have expressed concerns about the following sentence from my first post: “…I don’t care what Fox News says, there’s no objective truth…” I did just drop the statement in without much context, so thank you for proving to me that I have an attentive readership! I can tell you right now that my explanation for this thought may not satisfy you (but I find that necessarily obvious given the implications of my statement if it’s accurate). Also, words seem to be a terribly lacking medium with which to dribble out what I fully understand truth to be, but I will try to get it out in the most orderly way possible.

Before I jump in, please remember my singular request that you have as much grace with me as I have with you. And have grace with yourself if you find something new and challenging to your own presuppositions...