Ralph C Hancock

Are Latter-day Saints misunderstanding prophetic calls for peacemaking? Peacemaking is a high priority for Latter-day Saints, as urged recently by our late Prophet and President Russell M. Nelson. LDS scholars at BYU and elsewhere have stepped up to propose ways of pursuing this noble goal. @patrickqmason is foremost among those proposing strategies for peacemaking. In his own engagements with others Patrick models reasonable discussion very admirably. But in this article I argue that his interpretation of "peace" largely falls in line with the secular idea of "inclusion" while neglecting the spiritual contents of Christ's peace. Here is my close reading and critique of Mason's Proclaim Peace. Thanks to @InterpreterFnd . interpreterfoundation.org/journal/where-…

I recently published a review of my mentor, Harvey Mansfield's, amazingly comprehensive and penetrating history of modern political philosophy, The Rise and Fall of Rational Control. You can find that review in the Claremont Review of Books, by @ClaremontInst . Here is a longer version, with some comments addressed especially to members of @Ch_JesusChrist . Thanks to Greg Matsen of @CwicShow for hosting my stuff at Alive & Intelligent. aliveandintelligent.substack.com/p/irrational-r…

Thanks to Robert Erickson of @newcriterion for a generous mention and excellent little introduction to my new book. newcriterion.com/dispatch/the-c…

The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that Aristotle was right about everything.

@andrewklavan Everyone should give this episode of @andrewklavan a listen. He provides an excellent argument for the intrinsic goodness of virtuous action focused on the betterment of the self rather than an abstract secular idea of "changing the world".

What I learned by watching a bad movie. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also believe that salvation comes through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Though you imply that we believe you will be condemned for your beliefs about the Savior, we believe, like Jacob mentioned, that you will receive as much communion with God as you are willing to accept. God's priesthood power has been an essential framework for access to His power since the world began, and we believe that His gospel is unchanging. Although we are saved by grace, our participation in his eternal law, including through covenants such as baptism, is an essential part of being saved. Christ invites all men to come unto him to partake of the ordinances of salvation that they might be saved whether it be in this life or the next. "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" 1 Corinthians 15:29

A different gospel? The LDS gospel and the Christian gospel sound similar, but we ultimately mean different things. Mormon apologist Jacob Hansen and I each present what we believe is the true Good News:

To say that he is the chief purveyor of violent and pejorative rhetoric goes several steps beyond hyperbole. Very few on the right refuse to acknowledge that Trump has on occasion used unseemly rhetoric, but this post displays a willful ignorance to the widespread celebration of political violence that is being perpetrated by the Left. One 15 second scroll through bluesky will contain more "violent, pejorative rhetoric" than Trump has ever espoused. Trump used this opportunity to condemn hateful rhetoric coming from all sides while you made a post condemning the man who was facing his third assassination attempt for holding different beliefs than the political left. Remember to remove the beam first.

I think there is a constructive dialogue to be had about turning down political rhetoric. But I refuse to have that conversation with people who are too blinded by partisanship to see that Trump is the chief purveyor of violent, pejorative rhetoric in this country.

The Civil War Inside Conservatism - Kai Schwemmer and His BYU Professor youtube.com/watch?v=FZmplG… On this episode of my series on Cwic Media "The City and the Soul", I sit down with political director for the College Republicans @KaiSchwemmer to do a deep dive into the Right's current political crisis.

A brilliant, brief but lucid and synoptic take on the President vs. the Pope. city-journal.org/article/pope-l…

Thanks to Robert Erickson at the New Criterion for this well-framed invitation to my new book, Love and Virtue in a Secular Age. newcriterion.com/dispatch/the-c…

Here is my latest video in "The City and the Soul" series on Cwic Media: In it I discuss BYU's efforts to develop a new general education curriculum aligned with the university's distinct religious mission. @CwicShow #lds #churchofJesusChristoflatterdaysaints #philosophy #liberalarts #ldsx

The Other Solzhenitsyn natl.re/1mNUh8f via @NRO - my invitation to important new book by Dan Mahoney.

Meridian Magazine - The Idea that is Rotting our Brains ldsmag.com/article/1/1452…