Like The Rest Of Us, Tom Paulin

We Face A Conflict Between Civilisation And Culture, Which Used To Be On The Same Side. Civilisation Means Rational Reflection, Material Wellbeing, Individual Autonomy And Ironic Self-doubt; Culture Means A Form Of Life That Is Customary, Collective, Passionate, Spontaneous, Unreflective And Arational.

If We Were Not Called Upon To Work In Order To Survive, We Might Simply Lie Around All Day Doing Nothing.

Christian Faith, As I Understand It, Is Not Primarily A Matter Of Signing On For The Proposition That There Exists A Supreme Being, But The Kind Of Commitment Made Manifest By A Human Being At The End Of His Tether, Foundering In Darkness, Pain, And Bewilderment, Who Nevertheless Remains Faithful To The Promise Of A Transformative Love.

As Far As Belief Goes, Postmodernism Prefers To Travel Light: It Has Beliefs, To Be Sure, But It Does Not Have Faith

One Side-effect Of The So-called War On Terror Has Been A Crisis Of Liberalism. This Is Not Only A Question Of Alarmingly Illiberal Legislation, But A More General Problem Of How The Liberal State Deals With Its Anti-liberal Enemies.