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The Stump 344

Call Me Lucifer

Alexa is no doubt low-hanging fruit for the readers of Front Porch Republic. It is a place-contaminating, unlimited tyrant. If you've purchased one, watch out. When the lights start pulsing…
March 10, 2020

Why Love Belongs in Politics

Lubbock, TX. One month ago, the Senate concluded the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.  The process was almost purely partisan: Republicans, who control the Senate, stymied Democrats’ attempts to…

The Road Back from Impeachment: Are We There Yet?

So why am I against all these impeachments, investigations and inquiries? It is because in every one of these instances, the ultimate goal, far outweighing any truly high-minded purpose, is…

Liberty or Empire? Reconsidering the Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation undoubtedly had their problems. But the spirit of concurrence they embodied is worth celebrating. To revitalize American public life, we should revisit this period in our…

From Decadent to Local

It’s true that we don’t yet have a colony on Mars. But countless people are living very ordinary lives and doing very ordinary things that are true, good, and beautiful.

Independent Interdependence: A Mark of Successful Communities

Clay County, MO. At first blush, independent interdependence may seem an oxymoron. Yet people exercise a kind of balance between their need for autonomy and their need for what others…

Catholic Social Thought, Abraham Lincoln, and Common Good Capitalism

One need not support every economic prescription of the distributists or Lincoln. Each, however, presents certain principles that we can use to orient our economic thinking in the era of…

Power, Friendship, and a Better Set of Democratic “Rules”

For those tired of the fake news and play hate, who are convinced by Austin and their own better natures that accomplishing something better is actually still possible within the…

The Super Bowl Spectacle Sends Mixed Messages about Women

What was on display in the halftime show was not a celebration of sexuality or empowerment for women. It was an elevation of instinct.

Journeys in Trump Country

More interesting than the big-name hits and misses, though, are the everyday but often extraordinary people that she meets along the way. Some are firmly in the Trump camp; some…

On Being Kind

If it keeps us from flying at each other’s throats, I’ll take kindness every time. But if we seek more than survival, kindness is just the beginning.

When Protestants Became Libertarians

Protestants and American Conservatism reveals a capacious knowledge of American religious history. As skeptics of the liberal order slowly work out a positive vision for the republic, they now know…

What Is Your Vote?

I’m not asking what candidate you support. What I am asking you to consider is what does your vote constitute? This question was spurred by Jeff Bilbro’s thought-provoking essay here…

Presidential Politics: Pseudo Choices and a Third Party Worth Considering

The 2020 presidential election cycle has been in full swing for months now, and we are still almost a year away from casting our actual ballots. We justify this colossal…
Jeffrey Bilbro
November 20, 2019

A Primer on Digital Thinking Part 3:
Rise of the Robots?

Using money to measure a person’s worth is a product of an early version of the digital mindset that attempts to quantify all aspects of life.

Hannah Arendt on Labor, Work, and Dwelling—and Plastic Straws

An appreciation for labor and the cycle of nature is not itself enough for sustainable human dwelling. We also need a re-appreciation of the durability and independence of the works…

What Makes Art Beautiful?

The failure to distinguish between art and beauty has caused much confusion. Art and beauty have two different but overlapping trajectories–one towards union and the other towards transcendent reality.

Turning Heritage into History

Disenthralling ourselves from the past is an American tradition, and gaining a clear-eyed vision of the flaws and achievements of previous generations is itself part of our heritage.
September 20, 2019

The Forgotten Conservative Value: Wilderness

The Wilderness calls forth the bond of community, labor, and leisure. It calls forth the best in humanity, so long as humans understand their relationship to the Wilderness.

Why Aren’t There More Conservative Anarchists? On Recovering a Consistent Philosophy of Conservative Anti-Statism

Both Dreher’s and Deneen’s projects impel vital questions: how can the Faith be preserved, and how can we protect ourselves from the progressive strain of liberalism? Perhaps a synthesis of…
September 13, 2019

Climate Change, Dirty Hands, and the Grace (and Hope) of Limits

[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Paul Schrader, the famed screenwriter and director, does not make subtle films. His latest movie, First Reformed--the story of a depressed, emotionally exhausted, and ultimately…

And Beauty for All

By seeking to protect and restore natural beauty, create lovely urban design, bring art into our communities and support local sustainable agriculture and healthy fish and wildlife populations, we can…

Yuval Levin’s “Conservative Capitalism”

Yuval Levin recently highlighted right and leftwing critiques of capitalism in National Review’s May issue. Many of these critiques, he says, are serious and should not be ignored. “For the…

Against One-Sided Charity: John Chrysostom’s Reciprocal Giving

True charity draws all people, each one gifted and broken, into an interdependent community.
August 22, 2019