June 27, 2020
Welcome to the first edition of The Prospectus. This little column is my attempt to provide social critique and commentary rather than my usual content. I hope to produce this weekly, publishing on Saturday mornings. In a way, The Prospectus will function as a newsletter, where you will be able to access links to everything published on my website each week, as well as some quick thoughts on hot topics. Some of the quick thoughts might be fodder for longer posts in the coming weeks, while some might be just that: quick. I’ll also be giving book and content recommendation along with some links to my favorite content around the web from the prior week.
The Prospectus will be more political and news-ish in nature, while my longer articles will remain focused on ministry, theology, and the usual topics. My goal with The Prospectus is to stretch my own ability in engaging the public square with sound theology and guide readers (if anyone chooses to subject themselves to such things) into thinking critically about happenings in the world. I also want to have a little fun, so I am going to try to post about sports (mainly baseball) and pop culture.
Each week will feature a Quick Hit Quartet. The Quick Hit Quartet will feature four major headline stories and my quick take on them. I will attempt to stay away from punditry, but will instead offer a brief analysis from a Christian worldview. My background and political ideology will come into play, and you will probably disagree with some of my takes. I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below. However, I do reserve the right to delete any disrespectful comments that do not engage with the subject at hand. After the Quick Hit Quartet, I’ll give a weekly book recommendation, and some links to content that I found particularly engaging from the previous week.
Enjoy.
Quick Hit Quartet
The New York Times and Sen. Tom Cotton
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)
On June 3, the New York Times published an Opinion piece from Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) titled “Send in the Troops.” In the article, Sen. Cotton encouraged President Trump to evoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 in order to quell the far-flung riots in the U. S. The Insurrection Act “authorizes the president to employ military ‘or any other means’ in ‘cases of insurrection, or obstruction to the laws.’” Cotton called for “an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain, and ultimately deter lawbreakers.” According to Cotton and his staff, the piece passed a rigorous fact-checking and editing process.
In reaction to Sen. Cotton’s op-ed, many staffers at the New York Times were furious, both with the content of the op-ed and the decision by the Times staff to publish it. The furor continued (mostly on Twitter) over the next few days, until, on June 7, the Times announced the resignation of James Bennet, the editorial page editor. The staff members’ complaint was that Sen. Cotton’s op-ed “puts Black Times staffers in danger. Times publisher A. G. Sulzberger credits the publishing of Sen. Cotton’s op-ed to a “significant breakdown in our editing processes.”
As of now, the op-ed is still on the website, but a lengthy disclaimer has been added to warn readers of the “tone of the essay,” which is described as “needlessly harsh and falls short of the thoughtful approach that advances useful debate.” Several reactionary op-eds have been published in the last two weeks.
Whether or not you agree with Sen. Cotton’s views in his op-ed or his governance, he represents a large demographic of the U. S. He brings a voice to the table, and that voice deserves to be heard. We live in a nation where opinions are not illegal and free speech is a right for all Americans. Sen. Cotton’s op-ed did not immediately endanger anyone, as he does not have the power to evoke the Insurrection Act, and the Insurrection Act has historic precedent.
Meanwhile, a revolution is at hand, made up of a particular mob mentality. The New York Times is a deliberately left-leaning magazine and has been for decades. However, the younger staff (the staff that ultimately drove out James Bennet), is even further to the left of the established leadership of the times. This revolution is marching forward, and claiming professional casualties like James Bennet. The ideology driving this move is: “Conform or get out of the way.” Opinions that are different are seen as dangerous and potentially violent, and should never be published, even in the opinion section of the most popular newspaper in the world.
As Christians, however, we need to be slow to speak, slow to anger, and quick to listen, in all circumstances. We cannot afford to give in to mob mentality and cancel culture. We live in a reactionary time, but as Christians, we are called to a higher authority than Twitter revolutionaries and mob mentality.
SCOTUS and Bostock
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) handed down a decision in a group of cases (of which the lead case was Bostock vs. Clayton County). In a surprising 6-3 decision, SCOTUS ruled that Title VII protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against sex discrimination now extend to protect LGBTQ people, particularly gay and transgender people.
Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch
Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, and Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Donald J. Trump appointee, voted with the more liberal side of the court. Justice Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, while Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote the dissenting opinion. Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh also wrote a dissenting opinion.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 bans discrimination in employment on the basis of sex. In 1964, when Title VII was drafted and passed, sex referred to biological males and females, as it still does today. However, six judges extended the protections of Title VII, under the language of sex to same-sex orientation and transgender people. The implications for this case are huge and could extend into Title IX protections for colleges and universities. The act of updating SCOTUS rulings from the past to match our current confused cultural language is a dangerous precedent. Christian institutions that stand for God’s design of male and female and biblical ideals of marriage ought to be aware and careful in the days ahead. SCOTUS is arguing that “sex” now carries a different and more inclusive definition than it did in 1964. Fundamentally and scientifically, it does not.
The final issue with this ruling is an ongoing trend of SCOTUS legislating from the bench. The primary function of SCOTUS is to judge the constitutionality of legislation created in Congress. The primary function of Congress, then, is to actually legislate. However, due to Congress’s ineptitude and partisan blockade, SCOTUS has breached the function of legislating for itself. One branch’s ineffectiveness is not reason enough for the usurpation from another branch. Simply because Congress itself has turned into an ineffective party-line speech-stage, SCOTUS has no constitutional bearing to create legislation. Bostock is another in a long line of cases to weaken the Founders’ system of checks and balances.
COVID-19: Rising Again
According to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard, cases are on the rise again. More testing has become available and is being used, but the 7-day moving average is over 30,000 once again in the U. S. and individual states are tightening restrictions again. Stocks have begun slide back down as the cases ride. The recent resurgence in cases and case-related deaths seems to be a result of loosening guidelines around the country, and we have yet to see if the nationwide protests have any correlation or causation with the resurgence of cases. Many reported cases are among younger people (aged 20-44), as opposed to the older population of the earlier cases. It will be worth following to see if the areas where large crowds gathered to march in close quarters with one another while chanting or singing will see an uptick in cases as well.
Baseball is Back
Finally. Major League Baseball is returning in late July for a shortened 60-game regular season. The rules have been modified to shorten the length of games (a universal Designated Hitter; extra-innings will begin with a runner on second). It is still unclear whether or not fans will be allowed to attend the games, or if they will be played in empty stadiums to broadcast audiences.
The decision to return came after a long debate between the Commissioner Rob Manfred, the owners, and the MLB Players Association. The soap opera between the parties began in mid- May and continued until the decision was reached on June 23. Not everyone is happy with the decision, but baseball is back.
However, the negotiations showed just how far apart the Commissioners’ office, owners, and Players Association seem to be on core issues, such as average player pay, service time manipulation, and pace of play. It will be interesting to track some of these core issues as the Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire in December 2021. My entirely uneducated guess: Based upon the ugliness of the debate this season, and the last-minute deal reached in 2016, we will see a strike from the MLBPA, affecting the 2022 season.
Book Recommendation
The American Puritans
My weekly book recommendation is The American Puritans by Dustin Benge and Nate Pickowicz. Benge and Pickowicz are gifted historians and writers but are quick to attribute God’s role in history when discussing the early days of the American Colonies. The American Puritans gives brief biographies of influential leaders in the early days of Colonial America. Many of these figures have been forgotten in evangelical circles. As Christians, we are helped when we are able to look back and identify with great people used by God. Our faith is, in a way, shaped by their devotion to the Scriptures, God’s holiness, and the intersection of faith and the public square. Read my longer review here and order here. Also, both Dustin and Nate are great follows on Twitter.
Links
George F. Will’s Friday column in the Washington Post gives a sharp rebuke to the nation’s intelligentsia. Will argues that they really aren’t intelligent, but instead “are credentialed, stamped with the approval of institutions that gave them three things: a smattering of historical information just sufficient to make the past seem depraved; a vocabulary of indignation about the failure of all previous historic actors...; and the belief that America’s grosses injustice is the insufficient obeisance accorded to this intelligentsia.”
If you haven’t heard, J. K. Rowling has been canceled. Carl Trueman has written a great piece over at The Gospel Coalition detailing the reasons behind Rowling’s cancellation by the far left. In his article, Trueman outlines the underlying power of critical theory in cancellation culture and the ineffectiveness of “playing around with words.”
Norman Lear, Jerry Falwell, and 1970s TV. On the latest episode of Thinking in Public, Albert Mohler, Jr. interviews Benjamin Rolsky. They discuss the political impact of All in the Family and Rolsky’s new book, The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left. This was a fun conversation that covers the strange political playing field that was the 1970s.
This Week on the Blog
Hymn Highlight: What Wondrous Love is This
Unpacking the Power of Nostalgia in ‘Midnight in Paris’
Thanks for reading The Prospectus. Each Saturday morning, I hope to bring you a new edition with fresh quick hits, recommendations, and links.