Selections from Eric’s writing:

The Future of Marriage and Religious Liberty

A thorough public debate over these points would be consistent with America’s tradition of hammering out compromise to best satisfy the interests of a diverse citizenry, but the illiberal Left will have none of that truce. Pride has long been the motto of the LGBT activist movement, a corrosive sin that has hampered humanity from the beginning as recounted in the epic stories of the ancient Greeks and the poetry of King Solomon, who observed: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). That truth should encourage us, for the generational fight for life, marriage, and religious liberty has only just begun.

Bake for them two, or walk with the few

The spiral of silence is evidence of the second lesson: the widespread failure of pastors and other church leaders to properly equip everyday Christians to respond to the culture wars. Christians don’t know what the Bible says, and lack heroes who model both grace and truth. No doubt, some of this is the fault of leadership in previous generations that mistook the platform of the GOP for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A great deal of the problem results from the contemporary approach to ministry that commodifies the Gospel, repackaging it and changing the ingredients to maximize its appeal in target demographics. Whomever is to blame, the time is come to rediscover the integrity of the Gospel and apply it as salve to the wounds of the world.

Belief Rooted in Love

Life in a pluralistic society requires us to recognize and respect our differences, and find ways to get along in spite of them. This is a difficult, educational and deeply fulfilling task—if it is allowed. There have been times when we have, as a nation, agreed that certain ideas are undeserving of participation in the public square. The belief that marriage is solely for one man and woman ought not to be included in that list alongside racism and miscegenation, for it is a belief rooted in love. Even if you disagree, you ought to respect that fact. You might even learn of some Good News.

Crushing Rocks

Ryan Anderson is a dangerous man. So says the student body and administration of Stanford University, one of America’s “premiere” institutions of “higher education.” Anderson is one of a few intellectuals brave enough to make the case that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Though nationalized same-sex marriage by judicial fiat will likely come upon us in a very short time, nevertheless the best and brightest of the Millennial generation at Stanford cannot tolerate Anderson’s willingness to stand on the “wrong side of history.” After all, his clarity, logic, humility, poise, and courage might reveal the hollowness of what is arguably the most successful social movement in American history.

Patheos: Religious Freedom in Ten Minutes

Religious freedom is the right to ask questions of ultimate significance, and live in light of the answers. It consists of an unconstrained mind and unconstrained body: the freedom of orthodoxy, belief consistent with doctrine, and of orthopraxy, behavior that conforms with ones beliefs. Conforming mind and body to ones most deeply held religious beliefs is a basic human right, worthy of utmost protection. For this reason, religious freedom is America’s “first freedom”. Enshrined in the free exercise and establishment clauses that make up the first part of the First Amendment, freedom for religion is the foundation of all that comes after. After all, if the State can tell you what to believe, or deny your ability to live in accordance with your beliefs, what can’t it do? What’s to stop it from telling you what to read? Or what to write?

Religion & Politics: Why I Fight Against Same-Sex Marriage

At a recent gathering in Los Angeles, Stearns privileged the work he and others do around poverty issues and criticized Christians who he sees as preoccupied by work focused on the meaning and purpose of marriage. “No one ever died of gay marriage,” he argued. It is unlikely that “number of deaths prevented” is actually Stearns’ metric for determining the legitimacy of a vocation. Surely he recognizes the mundane contributions of faithful Christians in education, law, engineering, art, and a thousand other fields as legitimate whether or not life hangs in the balance. No, the comment tells us that Stearns finds marriage a trivial issue. Nero fiddled as Rome burned; meanwhile, Teetsel blogged about same-sex marriage. And so he pleads, “Why don’t you do something that matters?”

USA Today oped: Court Should Honor Traditional Marriage

Marriage is the first institution of society. It brings together one man and one woman as husband and wife to be father and mother to their children. Just as it takes one man and one woman to create a child, the unique contributions of mother and father provide the ideal environment to raise a child. Marriage is the beginning of family, and family is the foundation of society. Redefining marriage would further undermine an institution already weakened by pervasive infidelity and divorce. We need to promote a culture of marriage and family, not further dilute it.

Church Orthodoxy versus New Oprah-doxy

More common still is intellectual abandonment. Americans don’t think, they feel. They stumble through life gut first. Such e-motion stems from a culture that preaches “Baby, you were born that way,” and is subsidized by mediating social institutions — families, schools, the media — built on shifting sand. The result is an ever-expanding nanny state that refuses to allow its chicks to experience — and learn from — negative consequences. One victim of this is marriage. Senator Rob Portman is the latest to allow his heart to supersede his brain on this issue, but he won’t be the last. Those who understand what marriage is and why it matters have a two-fold task: first, to teach their lessons far and wide; second, to recognize the superiority of emotional arguments and make some.

The Gay Marriage Beauty Pageant

Proponents of traditional marriage must realize that we are not engaged in an honest intellectual debate aimed at the discovery of truth. Politics has always been downstream from culture, but long gone are the days of Lincoln v. Douglas, Keynes v. Hayek, and Buckley v. Everybody. We are no longer a nation engaged in a rigorous debate about ideas; we are a country of cast members whose leaders vie for top billing. It’s not an intellectual boxing match, it’s a beauty contest. What is Marriage is essential for those engaged in the earnest pursuit of truth and the common good, but much more is needed in a culture in which Lady Gaga is a cultural icon.

My Gay Roommate

Tim and I met a few years ago at a 24 watch party. His natural intelligence, unabashed geekiness, and “Snaps” skills made us quick friends. Plus, he managed a Starbucks so there was free coffee in it for me. Before long, I needed a new place to live and so did he. With a third friend, we rented a house together. Our friendship grew. Soon, I discovered that Tim is a serious Christian whose poignant reflections on faith and life set him apart from the pack. He was an usher in my wedding. One day, Tim told me that he had been in a years-long battle with same-sex attraction. Thus began a new aspect of our friendship.

Mitt Romney: You do care about the poor

Mitt Romney made my job harder this morning. In an interview with CNN, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination said, “I’m not concerned about the very poor.”That must be taken out of context, right? There’s no way Romney would say something so cold. A candidate so calculating would understand that the largest barrier to his election is the perception of him as a super-rich elitist who can’t connect with everyday Americans. After the $10,000 betand casual mention of $300,000 in annual speaking fees he must see that the worst thing he could do would be to demonstrate yet again how utterly out-of-touch he is with the mainstream. Nope.

Politics Won’t Save Me

This morning I received a sweet and encouraging note from my mom. In the aftermath of the election results, she had been thinking about me. Specifically, about me and the Phoenix Suns.

Occupiers and Values Voters: What I learned in 36 hours

On October 7, I traveled to New York City to interview the “occupiers” protesting in Zuccotti Park. The next day, I attended the Values Voter Summit, the annual gathering of social conservatives hosted by the Family Research Council. I wish I could say I had the foresight to plan this. I had been invited to attend the Summit as a “featured Tweeter” weeks earlier, while the New York trip occurred just days after a colleague joked about giving away books to the protestors. So, whether by providence or dumb luck, it happened that in fewer than 36 hours I experienced a sort of ethnography of the ends of American political culture. What I learned in New York left me enlivened and optimistic for the future. I walked away from the Values Voter Summit burdened by the dysfunction of a brand of conservatism that is so much smaller than it could be.

“Jump” Into Deficit Reduction

“What’s the sense of having a Republican administration and a Republican Senate if the best we can do is a $200 billion deficit?” – Republican Senator Bill Armstrong, 1984 1984: the year of my birth, the Macintosh computer, Reagan’s 49-state reelection, and the classic rock anthem “Jump.” Twenty-eight years later, I’m a married man, Republican presidential candidates vie for Reagan’s mantle, and Van Halen has given way to Lady Gaga. And while the latest iPhone is 371% smaller than the original Mac and costs 1254% less, our nation’s deficit has ballooned 659%. Sen. Armstrong’s $200 billion frustration has metastasized to a $1.3 trillion threat.

A Christian Budget?

An old lawyer’s adage goes, “If you don’t have the law, argue the facts; if you don’t have the facts, argue the law; and if you have neither the facts nor the law, just pound your fist on the table!”  There is a need for serious, informed debate about America’s budget crisis. Reforms will affect every American, especially those who most rely on Medicare. Unfortunately, much of the debate surrounding reform amounts to little more than fist pounding.