In a comment on this post Bill Keezer questioned whether torture should be prohibited in all circumstances, raising the wrenching hypothetical dilemma of a loved one who can only be saved from certain death by applying torture. I tried to offer some reasons why one should never resort to torture, but it occured to me…

So says Jacob Hornberger.

Godspy interviews Pat Buchanan.

From Christianity Today: Once upon a time, in 4th- and 5th-century Gaul and Spain, “Advent” was a preparation not for Christmas but for Epiphany. Epipha-what? That’s the early-January celebration of such diverse events in Jesus’s life as his Baptism, the miracle at Cana, and the visit of the Magi. In those days, Epiphany was set…

I really like this theologically rich post by Jonathan at The Ivy Bush on why, despite his appreciation for Calvinism, he remains an Arminian/Wesleyan. As a Lutheran, I suppose I should be more sympathetic to the Calvinist side of the debate, but I’ve always thought that traditional Lutheran theology has a hard time avoiding the…

Paul Cella lucidly dissects the fallacy of appealing to “Science” to settle what are ultimately moral and philosophical debates: Science, when it aspires to step outside itself and explain how its fruits should be put to use, is no longer science but philosophy. The scientific enterprise tells us how a discrete question is to be…

Fellow Lutheran Dwight P. at Versus Populum has a very thoughtful essay on same-sex relationships in the church that actually pretty closely matches the place where I am on the issue: a desire to be faithful to the witness of Scripture and tradition existing in tension with personal experience of gay and lesbian friends and…

Tom at Disputations puts the smackdown on a specious attempt by Linda Chavez to justify torture (and bashes the Jesuits a bit for good measure).

Photos from the upcoming movie Walk the Line (also starring the very fetching Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash). Not sure if Phoenix has the gravitas to pull it off. I’ll reserve judgment til I see the film. (via Thunderstruck)

Here’s a moving story by Sojourners‘ Jim Wallis about reconciling with a fellow evangelical and political opposite: The experience of my relationship with Bill Bright has taught me much about the promise and power of reconciliation. I will never again deny the prospect of coming together with those with whom I disagree. It is indeed…