John the Confessing Evangelical continues his series on Marian devotion. I find this pretty sensible: There is a difference between occasionally addressing Mary in the second person as a form of “literary apostrophe” (as FDN put it in the comments to my first post), such as is found in certain hymns (see v.2), and directly…

In last night’s press conference (which preempted the O.C. – @#$!!*&!) President Bush suggested cutting the rate of Social Security benefits for the top 70% of earners, while keeping the rate of increase the same for those in the bottom 30%. Seems like a reasonable step to me. He also distanced himself from the “Justice…

Just to show that we’re fair and balanced here at VI, allow me to direct you to this post from Dave Paisley at Disaster Area. Mr. Paisley, in the course of a review of Jim Wallis’ God’s Politics, makes a pretty reasonable quasi-case for the Iraq war. His conclusion? I think merely that the war…

I’d definitely like to see New England, the Deep South, and the Southwest, but the Upper Plains states? Ummmm…. Make your own map here.

From Thomas Fleming, author of The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I, a little historical background. (via Justin Logan)

Another one from Reason – Gene Healy with a sharp piece on how ending the judicial filibuster could backfire on Republicans. Ending the judicial filibuster, Mr. Healy argues, could provide a precedent for ending the legislative filibuster as well. And that would be problematic for anyone who favors limited government: But the second possible endgame…

Reason’s Jesse Walker on Democrats desperately seeking values voters: In the real world, instead of a GOP desperately trying to be hip, we see Democrats desperately trying to be square. Half a year after the election, they’re still looking for the magic bullet that will win those “values voters” who purportedly cost them the presidency.…

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. The usual explanation offered is that you ask other Christians here on earth to pray for you, so why not the saints in heaven? After all, if we are all part of the communion of saints as the creed tells us, it would seem that…

Confessing Evangelical on Lutherans and Mary (here and here). Siris on establishing the canon. Versus Populum on Bonhoeffer, pacifism, and “necessary evils.”

Why do I keep getting sucked into internet debates arguing the merits of just war theory against pacifists when, in fact, I’m against 99% of all wars actually waged? Is this what they mean by “the narcissism of small differences”?