Joshua Gibbs

Divine Justice

“[Subjects] want crimes to be punished, [citizens] want them prevented.” -Rousseau And why do subjects want crimes punished? Because a monarchy is an inherently religious form of government, and God Himself is far more concerned with punishing crimes than preventing them. God has relatively little interest in crime prevention.

Chiefs v 49ers/Biden v Trump

2020 Super Bowl: Chiefs v 49ers 2024 Super Bowl: Chiefs v 49ers 2020 Election: Biden v Trump 2024 Election: Biden v Trump Let’s hope the parallels between 2020 and 2024 stop there.

Teachers Are Fed Up With No-Consequence Discipline

“Why enforce attendance or discipline a child for talking out of turn when there’s a fight in the cafeteria? “We’ve got bigger fish to fry!” But if school staff do not hold the line on small fights, bigger fish come along. Highly successful charter schools adopt a “broken windows” approach to school order—even paying staffContinue reading “Teachers Are Fed Up With No-Consequence Discipline”

On Worship & Idolatry

The average modern Christian’s understanding of worship is so vague and undefined, it isn’t helpful to talk about “worshipping the creator, not the creation.” It would be better (and more to the point) to speak of serving the creator or adoring the creator, not the creation. Our vague understanding of worship has led to aContinue reading “On Worship & Idolatry”

Whatever Is Of Good Report

In the lengthy description St. Paul gives the Philippian church of those things worth thinking about, the most neglected, misunderstood, and ignored attribute is “whatever is of good report.” Classics are determined by a wide survey of history.

The USPS Is Terrible

I buy and sell things online on secondary platforms. In the last two months, the USPS has regularly taken three weeks or more to deliver packages that are supposed to arrive in two to five days. Today, nineteen days after shipping it, a package I sent to Texas was delivered to a buyer and theContinue reading “The USPS Is Terrible”

Education, Mildness, and Apostasy

“By the time I finished school I was an imperfectly informed but convinced socialist, pacifist, and agnostic… I had been brought up as a member of the Church of England, liking God. He knew everything about me but was Love and he was Understanding, so it would be hard to do anything for which heContinue reading “Education, Mildness, and Apostasy”

Compulsory Learning Does Not Stick

“A little more than half way through Plato’s Republic, Socrates says something that’s bold, honest, and dispiriting enough to send even the heartiest of high school teachers on a two-day bender: “Compulsory intellectual work never remains in the mind.” He means exactly what you think he means. You can’t force someone to learn anything theyContinue reading “Compulsory Learning Does Not Stick”

The Enduring Appeal of “The Grinch”

“The Grinch can’t steal the thing that bothers him most about Christmas, which is the singing, but he can steal everything else—and in stealing everything else, the Grinch is fairly sure he’s going to steal their singing, too. He’s going to prove them all a bunch of hypocrites. While the Grinch never makes a wagerContinue reading “The Enduring Appeal of “The Grinch””

New Interview

Dean Abbott invited me on his podcast this week. You can hear the episode here.