Written by Ben C. Dunson |
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
The abandonment of the freedom to engage in political speech against those currently in power leaves one of two options, neither of them conducive to national stability and flourishing. Those not currently in power will either become politically powerless forever or they will seek that political power non-peacefully. There is no alternative.

As I type these words the NatCon Conference in Belgium is in the midst of being shut down by Belgian police, at the order of the mayor of Brussels. The reasons that have been given are incoherent and absurd: the police cannot guarantee the safety of the conference attendees in light of a planned protest, and the conference attendees themselves are causing a public disturbance (by calmly presenting speeches on conservative political topics). There is no doubt that the real reason is the fact that the mayor of Brussels, as one cog in the machine of the modern global-leftist monoculture, simply does not want those who dissent from his politics to be allowed to voice their own views in public.
Such open, unashamedly illiberal tactics are now the norm throughout Europe, as well as the entire Anglophone world apart from America (and the only thing stopping them here is a lack of power, not a lack of desire). And yet, those participating in this new totalitarianism still feel compelled to publicly voice support for free speech. They do this for two reasons: to obscure their real intentions, which are still unpalatable to many in their own countries, and because they genuinely desire certain forms of “speech” to be absolutely free, just not the kinds of speech that were protected in classical liberalism.
Josh Abbotoy puts this dynamic well: “In our political tradition freedom of speech was almost entirely about the right to have political speech. Modern liberal democracy outlaws political dissent, but is ‘free speech’ maximalist when it comes to things that actually enslave people like porn, obscenity, etc.” In other words: you are free to say whatever you like if it undermines what is genuinely good in the world, but you are not free to oppose your political overlords, the ones working frantically to destabilize everything that is necessary for a stable and healthy society (secure borders, law and order, the family, etc.).
There are two, competing versions of free speech common today, though many people conflate them. The first, which is enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, goes back significantly further than America’s founding. It was a right hard-earned by the English over centuries of conflict with the Crown. It is summarized in the 1689 English Bill of Rights, a document drafted after the succession of William of Orange to the English crown, and as a response to the radical attacks on England’s historical liberties under James II: “That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament.” Roughly a half-century later (1752) this understanding was put simply by David Hume: “Nothing is more apt to surprise a foreigner than the extreme liberty which we enjoy in this country of communicating whatever we please to the public and of openly censuring every measure entered into by the king or his ministers.”
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Written by R. Albert Mohler Jr. |
Thursday, April 11, 2024
There is a deeper reality here that Christians must recognize. The White House action was an affront to Christianity and to morality, to be sure. And yet, we should pause for a moment to recognize that, despite best efforts of LGBTQ activists, the White House, and the cultural elites, it’s not working.

You can’t make this up. Late last week the White House released a statement from President Biden proclaiming March 31, Easter Sunday, as the 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility. Biden bragged about his support for LGBTQ political goals and declared to the transgender community: “You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back.”
An explosion of controversy quickly ensued, and the White House pointed to the fact that the president had also released an (extremely short) affirmation of Easter. When many Americans were shocked and outraged by the declaration of Transgender Day of Visibility—on Easter Sunday, no less—the White House responded that President Biden had recognized the transgender event every year he has been in the White House and that, though Easter moves on the calendar, the transgender celebration is regularly scheduled on the calendar for March. Just a coincidence, the White House insisted. Spokesperson Andrew Bates told ABC News: “As a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together and upholding the dignity and freedoms of every American.” He continued: “Sadly, it’s unsurprising politicians are seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric. President Biden will never abuse his faith for political purposes or for profit.”
What Bates was selling is unadulterated nonsense.
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Written by Justin S. Holcomb |
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Ecclesiastes describes the meaninglessness of living without God. We see that God created the world and called it “good.” But despite this original goodness, humanity fell into sin, and all creation was subjected to the curse of God. This brought into the world meaninglessness, violence, and frustration. Graciously, God did not leave his creation to an endless round of meaninglessness.

Vanities of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.Ecclesiastes 1:2
All is Vanity
Ecclesiastes begins with “All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) and ends with the same declaration (Ecclesiastes 12:8). The book states powerfully and repeatedly that everything is meaningless (“vanity”) without a proper focus on God. Ecclesiastes reveals the necessity of fearing God in a fallen and frequently confusing and frustrating world.
People seek lasting significance, but no matter how great their accomplishments, they are unable to achieve the significance they desire. What spoils life, according to Ecclesiastes, is the attempt to get more out of life—out of work, pleasure, money, food, or knowledge—than life itself can provide. This is not fulfilling and leads to weariness, which is why the book begins and ends with the exclamation “All is vanity.” This refrain is repeated throughout the entire book.
No matter how wise or rich or successful one may be, one cannot find meaning in life apart from God. In Ecclesiastes, the fact that “all is vanity” should drive all to fear God, whose work endures forever. God does what he will, and all beings and all of creation stand subject to him. Rather than striving in futile attempts to gain meaning on our own terms, what truly is significant is taking pleasure in God and his gifts and being content with what little life has to offer and what God gives.
Meaningless without God
The Preacher says that everything is meaningless without a proper focus on God. This theme is established and explained in Ecclesiastes 1:4–11, with verse 4 providing the thesis: “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” People are temporary, but the earth is lasting. Ecclesiastes 1:5–7 gives examples of systems or aspects of the earth that demonstrate this truth. Verses 5 and 6 establish two central metaphors that run through the rest of the book: the wind and the sun. They appear throughout the book in the phrases “striving after wind” and “under the sun.” These metaphors emphasize two things: the lasting significance of the earth, and humanity’s ephemeral nature by comparison.
People would like to do something new, to be remembered for making a significant contribution to the world; they long and strive for lasting significance but cannot attain it (Ecclesiastes 1:8–10). Our efforts are like striving after the wind—attempts for immortality that inevitably fail. One cannot catch the wind—it is here one minute and gone the next, just as fleeting as a human lifespan. All that is done “under the sun” suffers the same fate. We labor under the sun, but will never have the significance or impact that it has. No matter how great their accomplishments, humans will not achieve the lasting significance they desire. Ecclesiastes 1:11 drives home this conclusion when it says that few people make any significant impact on the course of world history, as most live and die in obscurity. Verse 11 drives home the point introduced in verse 4.
In Ecclesiastes 1:3 the Preacher asks, “What gain is toil?” This question is repeated throughout Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 5:15; Ecclesiastes 6:11; Ecclesiastes 10:11). The Preacher questions the significance of people’s work and asserts the pointlessness of life and creation. His pronouncements are not meant to leave us in despair, unless, of course, we are try to finding meaning in life apart from God. Rather, these pronouncements are meant to jolt us out of futility and to long for grace and to enjoy an ultimate and lasting significance.
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