Winthrop, New Deal Right, Pence
Two recent articles from in TGC and WashEx, and some Pence miscellany
A little over a month ago, I sent in a draft review of two new books on masculinity (The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey and Manhood by Josh Hawley) and it just went live yesterday: "Jesus and John Winthrop: Alternatives to Toxic Masculinity."
I put them both in conversation with Kristin Kobes Du Mez’ Jesus and John Wayne (which I previously poked into some here: "Mapping Jesus and John Wayne"), arguing that Pearcey begins her account of Christian masculinity several centuries too late, missing the most important drivers of modern notions of manhood.
What’s more, it turns out that authentic Christian masculinity is the cure for toxic masculinity, not its cause. Nominal Christianity and secular scripts for manhood (including what Hawley calls “epicurean liberalism”) have wrought destruction on our country’s households. John Winthrop’s Massachusetts provides a helpful counter-example to notions that Christianity is the problem.
By the way, one of my favorite little things about The Gospel Coalition (where this ran) is that they encourage their writers to include the church they attend in their bios. It’s a great practice for holding writers accountable and helping readers find churches (or possibly, as my wife worries, aiding stalkers in hunting down their quarries).
In a very different vein, I shared some concerns in the Washington Examiner last month with parts of Trump’s announced plans for expanding executive power should he win in 2024, as well as the growing admiration for New Deal-style politics (e.g., disregarding the constitutional order, growing the size of the federal government, and using state power to punish political enemies) on the political Right.
But I’m most proud of this one little snippet:
One of these New Dealers’ most prominent intellectuals even helped write an entire book about “redeeming the administrative state.” Call me crazy, but I’ve always thought the point was to abolish it, not call it down the aisle to accept Jesus as its lord and savior.
And I’ve been surprised to learn that a lot of Republicans actually admire Richard Nixon’s philosophy of power. That seems Very Bad!
Faith & Law Reading Group
Lastly, I wanted to share that, as part of a monthly reading group sponsored by the fantastic ministry of Faith and Law, I’ll be reading N. T. Wright’s “Loving to Know” with a handful of congressional staffers later today. If you or someone you know might be interested in joining us in the future, let me know! In previous meetings, we’ve read C. S. Lewis’ “Learning in War-Time” and Brad East’s “Once More, Church and Culture.” I’m always grateful for suggestions.
If a reading group is not your speed, Faith & Law has plenty of other great events that you should check out if you or someone you know works on or around the Hill.
Pence Miscellany
In the aftermath of Trump’s indictment, people fixated on a couple Pence-related elements in the transcript.
The Christmas Call
It was perhaps inevitable that a tense Christmas call would lead to a viral meme. Here’s my perfected form of that (Pence doesn’t have sideburns, as in the link above).
“Too Honest”
The former president’s words have now taken the form of a dope hat (as these things always seem to do), which will ironically help Trump’s challenger make it to the debate stage. You can buy it here!
