Law & Culture

I spent a few days this week in Arizona speaking for the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, a ministry of the Alliance Defense Fund. Blackstone is one of the premier leadership programs in the world, and I was incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to address 133 interns, all second year law students from an impressive array of law schools. I came away extremely impressed not just with the quality of these men and women, but extremely impressed, once again, by the Alliance Defense Fund.

ADF is simply visionary. They realize that an army engaged in culture wars needs reinforcements, and they are stewarding their resources to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders of principle and integrity. The content of the Blackstone program is unparalleled, and the speakers top-notch. I had the privilege of hearing an outstanding presentation by Hugh Hewitt on effective communication, which I personally found very helpful. Of course, I had to immediately follow, so I began my own lecture: "Nothing to make a guy insecure like following Hugh Hewitt and be expected to effectively communicate." Although I do wish I had heard his presentation before preparing mine, alas, I did just fine.

The content of my address is, of course, TOP SECRET - okay, not really. It was an extended critique of a kind of Gnostic dualism that hampers Christian cultural engagement, causing many to hide their light "under a bushel." Embarrassment of the claims of Christianity and its implications for broader culture is not just personal discomfort. Often, it is, sadly, built right in to our theological systems. And my task in the lecture is to drop some TNT down the hole and do some demolition work.

I'm privileged to be a part of the Blackstone Fellowship, and I'm grateful for a calling and vocation that enables me to effectively participate in such a visionary program. You can watch this video for more information about this year's event, and this one for a broader overview of the program. (In which I make an ever-so-brief appearance, in one of the shots where the speaker is at a distance. The photo was taken last year.)