Further, all men are to be loved equally. But since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special regard to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstance, are brought into closer connection with you. For, suppose that you had a great deal of some commodity, and felt bound…

From Jim Henley.

This is a deeply silly piece of writing. Slate asked its contributors to disclose the candidate for whom they’re voting and offer some reasons. Here’s the response from Steven Landsburg, the economic writer: If George Bush had chosen the racist David Duke as a running mate, I’d have voted against him, almost without regard to…

Eastern Orthodox theologian David B. Hart has a review of The Virtue of War: Reclaiming the Classic Christian Traditions East and West by Alexander F. C. Webster and Darrell Cole in the November issue of Touchstone. The book, according to Hart, is an attempt to show two things. First, that the Eastern and Western churches…

Christianity Today asks.

When we ask how Christians should relate to the social order around them, the underlying presupposition is that the social order is not “Christian,” otherwise the question wouldn’t arise. Whether or not we regard it as a good thing, there is a growing consensus that we in the West are living in societies that are…

David Koyzis offers a clarification of first and second-level political disagreements among Christians.

Alasdair MacIntyre, arguably the most important moral philosopher of the second half of the 20th century (in this layman’s opinion), says we must reject the “false choice” involved in the upcoming election. (via Disputations) UPDATE: “Fr. Jape” of the New Pantagruel responds to the MacIntyre piece here.

Despite the unfortunate title, this piece raises an important question. Have Christians, who should value each human life, become de-sensitized to civilian deaths in Iraq and elsewhere? Don’t we have a duty to make ourselves aware of civilian deaths on the other side if we are to hold our government accountable to the standards of…

Michael Gilleland has an excerpt from Seneca describing his conversion to vegetarianism and subsequent lapse. Note this part: Sextius believed that man had enough sustenance without resorting to blood, and that a habit of cruelty is formed whenever butchery is practised for pleasure. It’s interesting that this remains, in all essentials, the core of the…