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.

Outsourcing Our Memories

Do you know your spouse’s mobile phone number? Joshua Foer says we memorize fewer things today. We’re outsourcing our memories to external devices – to tablets and smart phones. Memorial Day is a good day to remember why it’s wise to not outsource too much.

Rx for ED?

Erectile dysfunction is on the rise. No pun intended. Increasing numbers of twenty-something men find they cannot be aroused by their actual, real life partners. Many are becoming convinced that erectile dysfunction (ED) is normal. Most assume Viagra is the solution. But there might be a better Rx for ED.

In Memoriam – Dallas Willard

“I think that, when I die, it might be some time until I know it.” I wonder if Dallas Willard knows it now. Dr. Willard passed away last Wednesday morning at the age of 77. He leaves behind a legacy of profoundly shaping many lives in many ways – including mine.

Shortsighted

While the Oscar for Best Picture went to Ben Affleck’s Argo, Americans would have learned a lot more if Affleck had gone further back in history. The same holds for a surge of college courses on “the history of capitalism.” Students would learn more if the courses went further back than the 19th century.

Apple’s Oldest Innovation

Steve Jobs’ final innovation is actually a very old one. Apple’s new headquarters, a circular “Spaceship,” was the brainchild of late Apple co-founder. But its spherical shape is actually a very old innovation. It’s found in all sorts of older Christian traditions.

An Inadequate Strategy

What a week. Last Monday’s terrorist attack in Boston is a tragic example of what it means to live in a fallen world. But it’s an example of something else. If we want to rid the world of these heinous acts, last week was an example of how much of the Western world is pursuing…

Sand Castle?

Sand castles look impressive – until the tide comes in. The tide is currently turning toward same-sex marriage. Traditional marriage is collapsing. Does this indicate that advocates for traditional marriage have built a sand castle?

Two-Dimensional Marriage

You don’t need a crystal ball to know where the same-sex marriage debate is heading. A simple understanding how GPS operates would however be beneficial. It would indicate marriage is becoming two-dimensional.

The Cruelest Virtue

T. S. Eliot said April is the cruelest month. Pregnant with the promise of spring, April often seems to stretch out the birth pangs. Hope is a virtue that works in a similar fashion. That’s why it’s the cruelest virtue.

Truth We Can't Handle (Pt. 3)

Colonel Jessep did indeed order the code red. The punishment was excessive and the outcome tragic. But the instinct was essentially correct. Discipline and suffering stretch Marines to their maximum capacity. It works the same way for Christians who understand that their bodies proclaim the mysteries of the gospel.