POPULARITY
Matthias Storme and Diederik Boomsma join editor R. R. Reno to discuss the Paris Statement and the future of Europe.
Spun off from the discussion of the Paris Statement, Hodges and Vowell discuss the problem of simultaneously loving our neighbors, and defending national security in the midst of a complicated immigration debate. Can Christians be in favor of assimilation? Can they not be? There are three kinds of immigrant: legal, illegal, and refugee, and each poses a separate set of problems for a country and for the Church. How can we be both nationally secure and able to fulfill our calling to care for the stranger among us?
What is the real definition of Conservatism? Hodges and Vowell continue their analysis of the Paris Statement, addressing the question of whether or not the public square can be "naked" as Richard John Neuhaus wrote. Is there anyone who isn't conservative in some ways? What do the authors mean when they suggest that Europe should secularize the public arena? What is a working definition of sacred and secular?
What the Paris Statement addresses: A False Europe is being built that embraces a secularized pluralism that they claim is neutral. But it is not. It also advocates the goodness of being disconnected from your own land, culture, and traditions -- exiled orphans.
Europe has divided, just as the US has become divided. A group of Conservatives from many different countries in Europe have put together a statement that defines the two approaches, and advocates for a "Europe We Can Believe In." Center Director John Hodges and Podcast Host Jack Vowell discuss a few of the points in the document, mainly that deal with economics: Marxism, Socialism, Capitalism, and promise to look into other key elements in future podcasts.