Musings over the Week of October 7-14
JUSTICE There can be no peace without justice and there can be no justice without righteousness. A standard for justice arises from a Transcendent source. So, justice is impossible if it’s left up to just us. If there is no justice after life, there can be no absolute, lasting justice in this life. The Christian must have both a short-term and a long-term response to injustice. Indignation about and participation in just causes is a proper, personal response to injustice. Yet, the only ultimate redemption available is the unadulterated innocence of Jesus’ sacrifice. [Prepping for teaching Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3 this Sunday.] 
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE “The Maid” will rip out your soul and return it to you splintered. For those women who have lived through DV and for those of us (as children) who looked for a cupboard to crawl into to duck flying projectiles, be wary. The action on screen, mirrors reality. “The Maid” is hard to watch and you must not look away. I found myself experiencing flashbacks to the awfulness of those days. I cannot recommend this limited series highly enough nor can I caution DV survivors loud enough. And for those onlookers, let your soul be splintered; learn how to care for mothers and their children in distress, for they too are “widows” (James 1.27). https://youtu.be/tGtaHcqsSE8
I am a BIG fan of Ray Bradbury and the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies and it’s director Dr. Jason Aukerman . Come see the exhibit at Campus Center IUPUI
SUFFERING. We contend with awful personal or family situations, hidden from public view. Our pain is real. But no one knows. Our anguish is constant. And we struggle to cope. What we don’t want to hear, but we often find to be true, is that good comes from bad. Ask, “What do I have, what do I know, that could be beneficial to another?” Take 10 minutes to read this story. Note both the heartache and the hope, the facts and the faith. https://www.theatlantic.com/…/engineers…/620172/ [Don’t miss the power of story and a book our family loves: “Ada Twist, Scientist”]
FREEDOM OF SPEECH As an academic, I speak loudly and often for freedom in general, freedom of speech in particular, and viewpoint diversity in the academe. [I am a member of the Heterodox Academy ] The Dorian Abbot story should not happen in academia. But it does. Often. And most of the time, in one direction. Please read this plea from a University of Chicago scientist asking the question, “What kind of country do I want my first child to be born into?” Thanks to Princeton University and Robert P. George for extending the speaking engagement to Professor Abbot, after @MIT cancelled the event. https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/mit-abandons-its-mission-and-me
“LEFT” AS AUTHORITARIAN It was interesting to find this article in The Atlantic. While I appreciate the evenhandedness of the magazine to explore a full range of ideas, my thoughts were not about “Left” or “Right” but about a universal principle. The study here referenced “a shared psychological core.” As a theologian I would call this “our shared inherent corruption,” or more simply, “sin.” We are all susceptible to a desire for control. We are all quite capable of becoming authoritarian monsters. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/psychological-dimensions-left-wing-authoritarianism/620185/