February 2019 – A Spreading Goodness

Augustine’s Pessimism

R N Frost February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 3

There it was again. In an academic book—this one on Christian Anthropology—a scholarly writer noted, in passing, Augustine’s “pessimistic view of human nature.” And that was it. In recent years I’ve seen the same dismissive charge against Augustine by a number of otherwise sound scholars who dismiss original sin with a single sentence. Let me …

Audience

R N Frost February 13, 2019February 13, 2019 0

Here’s the first question an editor asks a writer: “Who’s your audience?” It’s like asking a soldier before he shoots his rifle, “What’s your target?” Readers already know the rule. If a first sentence starts, “Use this document to see if your SSI benefits are taxable” we know where it’s going. So, too, if a …