COMMENTARY

Clapham Institute Blog

Welcome to the Clapham Institute Blog. You may have followed us previously at doggieheadtilt.com or come across us through a corporate event, church gathering, or online outreach. However you arrived here, we're glad to have you. If you have any questions about the content we're presenting, please feel free to reach out to us at any time.

Both/And

Ben Franklin made a seemingly insignificant edit to Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence. It wasn’t. It reveals a significant shortcoming of the Enlightenment.

The Abolition of Politics?

Two-thirds of Americans can’t see themselves supporting either of the presumptive Presidential candidates. This is what the abolition of politics looks like.

Conspicuously Absent

Did you notice? One institution was conspicuously absent amidst the parade of officials explaining the ISIS-inspired massacre at an Orlando nightclub. Why?

Land of the Little Loves?

Think globally, act locally. Good idea—but not great. It suggests we’re living in the land of the little loves.

Four-Pound Knapsack

Apologetics can feel like a 100-lb. backpack. You have to be a renaissance scholar. That’s a heavy load to lug. There’s an easier way. Apologetics can be a 4-lb. knapsack.

Selective Memory

Selective memory keeps us sane.

Power of Porches

My wife Kathy and I are getting an education on community. We recently moved downtown. Our home has a large front porch. Our previous homes didn’t. They had rear decks. We’re learning why decks and patios make building community difficult.

Five Meadows

In my mid 40s I began meeting men who were churning with angst. Many were Christians but all were restless for more. It was time for them to climb to a higher meadow. Today, after countless conversations, I have come to see five meadows.

Meadows

Henry Kissinger described life as “a journey across the meadows.” C. S. Lewis also saw meadows but understood better why so few take this trek.

Before Late Adopters Adopt

Last week I proposed what a church for the rest of us might look like. If we’re going to develop these types of faith groups, best to get going before late adopters adopt.