October 3, 2020

The Prospectus is back! While I’m not going to promise a new edition each week, I will try to be more regular in putting out The Prospectus in the future. Much has happened since the last edition of The Prospetucus, so this edition will obviously not be even close to a full analysis. Rather, I’m hoping to skim the surface of major stories and give some quick analysis. Enjoy!

Quick Hit Quartet

President Trump has COVID-19

Early Friday morning, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were found to have tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came thirty days before the national presidential election, to be held on November 3. President Trump is currently hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center in order to maintain a quarantine. The President and First Lady are displaying mild symptoms, and the President is continuing to work, despite his hospitalization.

In times like these, as Christians, we must obey the biblical call to offer supplicatory prayers for our governing authorities (1 Tim 2:1-2). Whatever your political persuasion, the reality is that the President and his wife are sick and need prayer. We cannot be like so many of the loudest voices on Twitter, who are using this time to score political points or even make jokes at the expense of the President’s health. You might not want President Trump to be reelected, but as Christian, you are called to pray for him. Let’s do better than the world, and pray for the end of COVID-19, and the health of the President. 

President Trump’s sickness and subsequent quarantine will have political ramifications. It will be interesting to track the polls over the next few days to see how the Trump Campaign will respond as their candidate will be quarantined. Particularly of interest is the next presidential debate, to be held on October 15.

Polarization on Full Display

If you haven’t heard, there was already one debate earlier this week between President Trump and the Democratic Nominee, Former Vice-President Joe Biden. The debate was held Tuesday, September 29 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Each candidate agreed to the debate terms prior to the debate, and the debate was moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News.

Presidential debates are meant to be civil discussions between candidates on important matters. Of course, the candidates will have opposite views on many of the matters and policies discussed, but the debates are meant to be civil. This was not that. Tuesday’s debate quickly descended into chaos, with President Trump consistently speaking over Mr. Biden, while Wallace attempted to maintain control over the entire affair. Both sides interrupted and name-called, with Mr. Biden referring to the President as a “clown” and even saying, “Will you shut up, man?” 

The debate, however, was but a microcosm of the last few years of American political discourse. Our partisan divides have completely erased any ability to be civil with one another, and Tuesday night, the nation’s polarization was on full display. The debate is yet another reminder for the American Christian that, though we have a worldly citizenship in this nation, it is temporary. Our citizenship is in heaven, where perfect, gospel unity reigns forever. We in the church can rise above name-calling, ad-hominem attacks, and polarization to speak the truth in love with one another, even in disagreement. We must do our best to live peaceably with all (Rom 12:18).

Amy Coney Barrett

On September 18, longtime Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87. Nominated by President Clinton in 1993, Justice Ginsburg served on the Supreme Court for 27 years and accrued a massive following by political junkies, particularly on the left-side of the political spectrum.

As expected, in the wake of Justice Ginsburg’s death, President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ginsburg. Judge Barrett currently serves as a circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Judge Barrett was named to the 7th Circuit by President Trump in 2017. 

Judge Barrett will now appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The Republican-led Senate has given clear signals that they will move forward quickly to affirm Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court, attempting to affirm her before election day on November 3. The Judiciary Committee will vote on Judge Barrett on October 22, barring any scheduling complications. The entire Senate would then vote to either approve or deny Judge Barrett the following week.

Bob Gibson

It was announced yesterday that Bob Gibson died after a battle with cancer. Any baseball fan or history buff knows the name Bob Gibson. Gibson was the flame-throwing ace of the St. Louis Cardinals throughout the 60s. Gibson was a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, while also having his iconic number 45 retired by the Cardinals.

Gibson is a symbol of a bygone era in baseball, the dominant ace who viewed both the pitching mound and the batter’s box as his personal property. As intimidating as he was talented, Gibson demanded respect from the batter. Gibson was known for throwing inside to batters who seemed too comfortable in the box. He was a psychological terror to overconfident hitters, and had the skill to back it up. Gibson won two Cy Young awards, one MVP, nine Gold Gloves, two World Series MVPs, and recorded over 3,000 strikeouts. His legendary 1968 season set an ERA record, with a final tally of 1.12. In ’68, Gibson started 34, and pitched 28 complete games. In the World Series later that season, Gibson set a record with 17 strikeouts. 

Speaking of Gibson, all-time great Hank Aaron said,

“Don’t dig in against Bob Gibson, he'll knock you down. He'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don't stare at him, don't smile at him, don't talk to him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don't run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don't charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove boxer.” 

As a Cardinals fan, I can say that Bob Gibson will be missed. Rarely does the combination of all-time talent and fear-inducing intimidation find a home in one player. But Bob Gibson embodied that combination.

Book Recommendation

My book recommendation this week, for a change, is a fiction work. Earlier this year, I finally got around to reading Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. The book came out in 2001, and quickly rose to prominence in literary circles. Berry offers a realistic look into life in Port William, Kentucky. The book is at the same time elegant and stark, tragic and dream-like. Berry writes with a pastoral tone, in which the reader will immediately feel at home while reading.

Links

The Public Discourse has become a daily read for me, and I think you should consider subscribing to their daily newsletter of thought-provoking essays and articles. This week, they’ve been running a series of essays on how to vote in the upcoming election, considering many angles for thoughtful, conservative Christians. I would encourage you to check out their most recent essays in their archives. 

Recently, Dr. Matthew Barrett hosted Dr. Louis Markos on the Credo Podcast. The interview covers some great topics, and is entitled “Who Cut Us Off from the Good, the True, and the Beautiful?” I would encourage you to listen to the entertaining conversation and then read some classic fiction!

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