Michael W. Austin

The VP in the background laughing at the President's remarks about “Somali pirates” at first made me angry. Now I am just deeply saddened that this is where our national leadership is, and that so many follow them in this.

A New Focus "Rediscovering the Way" is now "The Greatest of These"

michaelwaustin.substack.com/p/a-new-focus

A refreshed and refined focus on my Substack (link in comments):
“The Greatest of These” is for the dedicated, the doubters, and the disillusioned searching for a faith expressed through love.

"Advice to Christian Philosophers, Forty Years Later"

Very excited to share that my paper with five awesome collaborators has just come out open access in Faith and Philosophy. We extend Plantinga's famous advice beyond his focus on research in philosophy.

place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphil...

philosophynow.org/issues/64/We...

Working on my next book project, “U2: Fighting to Surrender”. It’s about U2’s music and human life: God, friendship, love, peace, justice, etc. Some great stuff from the new EP will make its way into my book. I’ve been looking a bit at this piece I wrote almost 20 years ago.

The new @U2 EP gets better with every listen.

“Most of us are scripted to think that life is a game and the purpose of life is to win. This is the way that seems right. But the divine truth is that life is a gift and the purpose of life is to learn to love well.”

I’ve found a lot more clarity on what I want to write about on Substack. I think we all have something good and helpful to contribute, if we write from the mind and the heart about things that matter to us. That’s what I hope to do in the coming months and years. More soon.

Taught the philosophy of personalism yesterday, and how it is manifested in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” It was a nice discussion. Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m a personalist. I just didn’t know it.

Ouch.
“You say you care about the poor?
Then tell me, what are their names?”
— Gustavo Gutierrez

YouTube video by The Analytic Christian When Romans 13 Becomes a Political Weapon

A conversation I recently had on The Analytic Christian about recent events and Christian reactions to them.
youtu.be/pPd4_r_eZt0?...

"Do not be too quick to condemn the man who no longer believes in God, for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice, your mediocrity and materialism, your sensuality and selfishness that have killed his faith."
~Thomas Merton, with some words for all of us who profess faith in Christ to consider.

Conversations of Grace and Humility A recent talk I gave about the virtue of humility, and ways we can cultivate it.

It's not often my inbox gets TWO humility-themed emails in one day, and they were both good ones.

First is this excellent talk by @michaelwaustin.bsky.social, prof at EKU. I highly commend it, esp. for the practical applications at the end.

1/2

michaelwaustin.substack.com/p/conversati...

Michael Austin: Why American Christian Nationalism is Neither Christian Nor American - Gravity Commons We talked with philosophy professor Michael W. Austin about how Christian nationalism is contrary to Christian virtues AND American values, and offers us a better form of civic engagement. In his book...

One of the best discussions I've had on these issues, really enjoyed being on this podcast! And yes, I like snow.
gravitycommons.com/podcast/mich...

... Perhaps it is because they worship might, venerate those who command might, and are convinced that it is by force that man prevails. The splendor and the pride of kings blind the people."

Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel:
“Why were so few voices raised in the ancient world in protest against the ruthlessness of man? Why are human beings so obsequious, ready to kill and ready to die at the call of kings and chieftains?..."

Socrates knew it. Plato knew it. They argued it.
Jesus taught it. He lived it. He tells us to do the same, in love. Reject the lie that might makes right.

“One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Letter from Birmingham Jail

I discovered today that I have over 14,000 unread emails in my inbox, mostly junk. Mostly. Who knows how many total are in there, or what vital email I am unaware of that could change the course of my life. I'm thinking I'll just let it ride until I retire.

Yet there is a deeper and much stronger law, like the deeper magic in Narnia. There is a kingdom coming, in part now and in fullness someday, with a law that has existed from before the beginning of time, from eternity.
Love.

Trump advisor Stephen Miller: “We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.”

I didn't know he was working on this, really look forward to reading it!

Thinking a lot recently about the connections between an ethic of love and our humanity, our character, and the common good.

God is love. The most important commandment is to love God and neighbor. Jesus teaches love of enemy. Love binds the virtues together in perfect unity. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. God’s love has been poured out into our hearts. The greatest of these? Love

"Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy."
~ Thomas Merton

Human, not AI There is a lot of confusion about artificial intelligence concerning what it is and what it does.

michaelwaustin.substack.com/p/human-not-ai

“There is, then, no greater sacrilege than insensitiveness toward those who suffer.”
—Simone Weil