New Book in Spring 2017

John’s new book Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination–with a counterpoint co-authored by Ryan T. Anderson and Sherif Girgis–will appear in Spring 2017. Pre-order now on Amazon and get it when it’s hot off the press!

Czech it out! Spanish and Czech subtitles on John’s video

Both Czech and Spanish subtitles are now available on my “What’s Morally Wrong with Homosexuality?” video. Just click on the little gear symbol on the lower right of the screen (to the right of CC), click on “Subtitles/CC,” and click on “Czech” or “Spanish.” Many thanks to David Koranda for the Czech translation and to… Continue reading Czech it out! Spanish and Czech subtitles on John’s video

Reflections on the Orlando Massacre

In a Detroit Free Press op-ed, John calls for nuance in reactions to the Orlando shooting: In Mateen’s case, there’s less evidence of religious extremism inciting murder than of a violent individual reaching for the nearest violent ideology to justify his violent tendencies — tendencies that arose from various causes, both religious and secular .… Continue reading Reflections on the Orlando Massacre

Mourning the Orlando Victims

On Monday I joined the Wayne State University community to mourn the victims of the Orlando shooting massacre. You can read about the vigil and dialogue at the University student newspaper, The South End.

Applied Philosophy Out of the Closet

At The Philosophers’ Magazine, as part of an issue on “50 New Ideas In Philosophy,” John discusses the emergence and future of LGBTQ philosophy as “applied” philosophy. An excerpt: [M]uch of what occurs under the mantle of applied ethics is neither applied nor ethics. The word “applied” suggests taking a developed theory and then drawing… Continue reading Applied Philosophy Out of the Closet

Freedom of Religious Expression Panel at UT Austin

I’m excited to return to the University of Texas at Austin–where I received my Ph.D. in 1998–to participate in a public panel on the “Freedom of Religious Expression.” It’s on Thursday February 4th at 5:30 pm in the College of Liberal Arts Building (CLA) 1.302B; my co-panelists are Prof. Douglas Laycock of the University of Virginia… Continue reading Freedom of Religious Expression Panel at UT Austin

Why Marco Rubio Needs Philosophy

At the Detroit Free Press, I give a brief lesson on the pursuit of wisdom. From the op-ed: By mocking philosophy, and the humanities more generally, Rubio devalues the pursuit of wisdom: the critical scrutiny of our fundamental beliefs and convictions; the quest to understand the world and our place in it, the exploration of great… Continue reading Why Marco Rubio Needs Philosophy

What’s Wrong with Religious Arbitration?

At CU-Boulder’s What’s Wrong? blog, my colleague Katherine Kim and I consider some of the pros and cons of religious arbitration. From the essay: An important feature of liberal (i.e. free) states is to protect citizens’ moral agency, allowing them to align their actions with their moral convictions. Many citizens base their moral convictions on… Continue reading What’s Wrong with Religious Arbitration?