At the American Philosophical Association blog, John explains how “metaphysicians ruin everything.” Read the full interview here.
Category: Announcements
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Wat is er mis met homoseksualiteit?
Ever wonder Wat is er mis met homoseksualiteit? Us too! In November, John gave several talks at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, including his classic “What’s Morally Wrong with Homosexuality?” (in English, not Flemish). He enjoyed his trip to Belgium and hopes to return in the fall.
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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!
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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 Pedro Michel, Dr. Paula Oliva-Fiori, and Dr. Roxana Zuniga for the Spanish translation.
U mého videa “Co je morálně špatného na homosexualitě?” jsou nově k dispozici české titulky. Stačí kliknout na tlačítko s ozubeným kolečkem ve spodní liště přehrávače (vpravo od obrázku titulků), najet si na “Titulky” a vybrat “češtinu”. Za překlad mnohokrát děkuji Davidu Korandovi.
Subtítulos en español disponibles en mi video “What’s Morally Wrong with Homosexuality?”. Haz clic en el ícono de la parte inferior derecha de la pantalla (a la derecha del CC), clic en “Subtítulos/CC” y selecciona “Spanish/Español”. Muchas gracias a Pedro Michel, a la Dr. Roxana Zúñiga y a la Dra Paula Oliva-Fiori por la traducción.
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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.
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John on “The Takeaway” Discussing Campus Free Speech
On “The Takeaway” radio program with John Hockenberry, John discusses campus free speech. His message: The situation is not so bad! Listen to the full interview here.
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John on ABC’s This Week
On ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, I discuss the recent “bathroom bill” in North Carolina. From the interview:
The idea that this is about safety and security, it’s kind of like when somebody says that they ate all the ice cream in order to make room in the freezer. I mean it’s just obvious that that’s not the real reason. This is about discrimination, particularly against transgender people.
It’s a quick interview, and by the time I start getting warmed up, it’s over. But you can watch the full segment here.
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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 and Prof. Marci Hamilton of Cardozo Law School at Yeshiva University. More information here.
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Davis Defenders No Better at Interpreting Bible than Interpreting Constitution
Yesterday at the Detroit Free Press I argued that supporting Kim Davis’s religious liberty doesn’t mean tolerating her refusal to do her job as county clerk. “Religious liberty does not entitle the bearer to line-item vetoes for essential job functions,” I wrote.
In passing I mentioned that she has been divorced multiple times, which shows how inconsistent she is in enforcing Biblical law. Others have made the point more sharply, noting that she became pregnant with twins from husband number three while married to husband number one, in Maury-Povich-worthy twists. Husband number two, who adopted the twins, is also her current, fourth husband.
In response to revelations about her marital history, her Liberty Counsel attorneys have rushed to her defense. According to U.S. News and World Report:
[Attorney Mat] Staver says “it’s not really relevant, it’s something that happened in her past” and that her conversion to Christianity about four years ago wiped her slate clean. “It’s something that’s not relevant to the issue at hand,” he says. “She was 180 degrees changed.”
Her colleague Casey Davis makes a similar point:
Casey County Clerk Casey Davis, who is not related to Kim Davis, tells U.S. News he believes there’s a difference between getting a divorce and then repenting and living in a same-sex relationship.
“I don’t have any problem with that whatever, how she was before. If the Lord can forgive her, surely I can,” he says. “That’s something that’s forgivable just like any other sin, but if you continue in it and live in it, there’s a grave danger in that.”
Apparently these people are no better at interpreting the Bible than they are at interpreting the Constitution. For Jesus himself says quite clearly:
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” (Mark 10: 11-12).
Notice that, in Jesus’ words, divorced and remarried people are not people who did sin (past tense) and then had their slate wiped clean. They are people who are sinning, as persistent and unrepentant adulterers. Why isn’t there “grave danger in that”?
I recognize of course that divorce is sometimes the best option for those in a bad marriage. On the other hand, unlike these folks, I don’t go around trying to substitute “God’s law”–or my own self-serving interpretation of it–for the laws of the state.
Read my full Freep piece here.
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Fall Speaking Engagements
John is currently working on the details of his fall speaking calendar, with talks planned at the University of Colorado, Boulder, on October 22 and 23 and at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, on November 6. Details to follow soon at the calendar page.
