The Archive

Every essay.

L. M. SacasasTechnologyMarshall McLuhan

What makes the edifi "Christian?" On Media, Habits, and Christian Virtue

The edifi claims to be a "Christian tablet." But what makes a technology Christian? Marshall McLuhan and others step in to help.

Matthew Lee AndersonTheology and PracticeLiberal ChristianityRoss Douthatchristianity

The Dim Future for Liberal Protestantism: Douthat and O'Donovan Together

Ross Douthat questioned whether liberal Protestantism could survive. We bring in Oliver O'Donovan as a dialogue partner to the discussion.

Matthew Lee AndersonFormation

The Trouble with Talking about our "Identity in Christ" - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture

When Christians talk about "identity in Christ," what do they mean? Is it a positive theological concept, or a negative one?

Ben Simpson

Every Foreign Land their Fatherland, Yet Every Fatherland a Foreign Land

Right and left meet at the cross: Love of nation is not necessarily a bad thing, so long as we maintain a unique identity under the cross

Graedon ZorziTheologyEthicsvirtuechristianityFormation

Desiderius Erasmus and “It wasn’t me, it was God”

It's time to reconsider the phrase, “It wasn’t me. It was God.” The phrase carries within it an inadequate account of humility.

Matthew Lee AndersonEarthen Vessels

The Torching of Earthen Vessels: A Reply to Frank Turk

Matthew Lee Anderson responds to Frank Turk's review of Earthen Vessels.

Matt Miller

Ray Bradbury, J.R. R. Tolkien, and the Benefits of Nostalgia

Tolkien was a British, Catholic, Oxford professor; Bradbury was an American, vaguely Buddhist, self-educated writer.

Guest Writerembodiment

"You Don't Have a Soul": C.S. Lewis Never Said It

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." -C.S. Lewis never said this (and it's probably not right).

Brett McCracken

Place, Patriotism, and Sehnsucht -Mere Orthodoxy

It’s a mistake to assume patriotism is the same thing as nationalism, and that patriotism is a manufactured extension of hegemonic ideology.

Matthew Lee Anderson

A Summer Reading Guide for the Mere-O Reader - Mere Orthodoxy

Few folks are in tune with recent publications like my friend Christopher Benson. Below are his recommendations.

Matthew Lee AndersonEvangelicalism

Contraception, the NAE, and what a Conversation Does - Mere Orthodoxy

It is no longer safe to assume that evangelicals oppose contraception for single people; we have to more clearly understand why they should.

Matthew Lee AndersonSupreme CourtPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActUnited StatesLaw

The Dangers of Prudence and the Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling

Roberts sacrificed his interpretative modesty and argued that the law's penalties for not purchasing health insurance constitute a tax.