Remembering Heroes: Memorial Day 2012

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse…”
— John Stuart Mill, “The Contest in America,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, April 1862, 683–84.

Today as those in the United States remember the men and women who have died to preserve American freedom and defend others from tyranny, I’d like to offer the following collection of blog posts, articles, and podcasts. Each one reflects on the reality of war, its purpose, or the ways we’ve depicted it in film.

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day commemorates the United States’ soldiers, sailors, airman, and marines who died while in military service.

War is a challenging moral issue to come to grips with, especially from a Christian perspective. But while it is always tragic, and often evil, war is sometimes morally right, just, and practically necessary.

Justice and the Death of Osama bin Laden

Why was it important for Osama bin Laden to be killed? And why is it important for Americans and people around the world to know it? I addressed these critical questions in a special edition Straight Thinking podcast less than 24 hours following President Obama’s announcement of the death of bin Laden at the hands of the American military.

You can listen to the podcast here and I’ve include the podcast outline below.