Mike Wittmer

Category: Politics

  • the end of civil religion

    I made the mistake of reading about the Louie Giglio imbroglio before going to bed, and it kept me from falling asleep. So now I’m dangerously typing a blog post at 1:00 AM, hoping I won’t regret this in the morning. I share my evangelical friends’ concerns about America’s growing intolerance with conservative Christianity (i.e.,…

  • there, fixed it!

    Remember how last week it seemed that our government had hit bottom? Well, that wasn’t bottom. This might be.

  • pro life gun control

    As Democrats and Republicans fumble their way toward a Grand Bargain to avoid the fiscal cliff, the tragic shooting in Connecticut points to the need for another, more important compromise. As with the fiscal cliff talks, I’m under no illusion that my compromise will be implemented. But as with the fiscal cliff, we’ll learn a…

  • the morning after

    Ten thoughts on yesterday’s election: 1. How long until the Billy Graham Association relists Mormonism as a cult, and a particularly disappointing one? 2. I wonder who is feeling more relieved today, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? 3. President Obama’s main argument for reelection was that he was not Mitt Romney. He succeeded in disqualifying…

  • the intolerance of tolerance

    I just saw this essay posted on Facebook. It’s a chilling explanation of how the religious leaders of our culture might justify the persecution of Christians as good and necessary. We shouldn’t be surprised by this, as our message is the same as Paul’s, and he was told by the Jews in Rome that “people…

  • God’s will and Republicans

    One of the ironies of this election season is that while President Obama and the Democrats hold a most extreme position on abortion (why doesn’t Romney ask about partial birth abortion?), the Republicans seem bent on proving that they are the ones who can’t be trusted on this issue. The latest gaffe occurred last night…

  • Steinbeck vs. Sirico

    In honor of the big debate we might have this fall, if we can get past the “put ya’ all back in chains” and “legitimate rape” comments, I just finished reading John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and Robert Sirico’s new Defending the Free Market. Steinbeck’s classic tale is a powerfully moving story about migrant…

  • moral to the story

    A little over a month ago I heard a dynamic presentation from Arthur Brooks, president of The American Enterprise Institute, at Acton University in Grand Rapids. Brooks caught my attention when he began by saying that the average age of unhappiness for men is 45, which explains why I’ve been crabby lately, though I suspect…

  • just another Wednesday

    I didn’t eat at Chick-Fil-A today, mainly because there isn’t one nearby and I don’t typically join causes. I am a white evangelical male over forty who did not attend Promise Keepers. See what I mean? I do admit to feeling a surge of pride as the national news showed lines of people packing the restaurants…

  • chicken fight

    I have noticed that nearly every article on the Chick-Fil-A controversy mentions they serve delicious chicken sandwiches. This must have KFC wondering who might feign offense at them and fry up some of that free publicity (when even Billy Graham plans on observing Chick-Fil-A Wednesday, you know you’re on to something). This backhanded compliment seems…