Ask Nathan Anything

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

What is your opinion of this this article's thesis?

Strongly positive. I don't think AOC is an ideal example of what a "Christian-democratic socialism" might look like (even though she is Catholic), but then, neither is anybody else in American public life.

Do you ever plan to write another timeline? Winds from the East was fantastic!

Thank you! I probably won't do another Atlas timeline but I have been writing an alternate history/historical fantasy book series since 2012.

[Senator Incitatus]

a "Christian-democratic socialism" might look like (even though she is Catholic)

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

a "Christian-democratic socialism" might look like (even though she is Catholic)

I think you may have misinterpreted this. What I meant was "even though AOC is Catholic, she's not an ideal example of a 'Christian-democratic socialist'", not "even though AOC is Catholic, she could conceivably be an example of a 'Christian-democratic socialist'". I don't think Catholicism is more inimical to post-Cold War democratic socialism than Protestantism is and as a Catholic myself I certainly don't think it's less Christian.

[Senator Incitatus]

I actually missed the word "don't," but I was just kidding anyway. I know you are Catholic.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm actually surprised AOC isn't a hipster Christian Protestant actually, she's basically a perfect fit demographically.

Anyway thoughts on this?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Anyway thoughts on this?

Staggeringly silly.

[Reluctant Republican]

What about Catholicism drew you to convert to it, if you don't mind me asking? 

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Anyway thoughts on this?

Staggeringly silly.

Exactly my reaction too.

What do you think of the Gospel of Thomas?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

What about Catholicism drew you to convert to it, if you don't mind me asking? 

Exactly the things that a lot of Protestants don't like about it--extremely high Eucharistic theology, Marian devotion, etc. I was getting some of that in the Episcopal Church but there's a feeling among a lot of Anglo-Catholics these days, even socially liberal ones, that the Broad Church people in charge of the denomination are mostly just tolerating them/us rather than seeing them/us as a fully legitimate part of the spectrum of Anglican theological opinion. I still go to Episcopalian Christmas and Easter services sometimes because TEC really does know how to pull out the stops for the big holidays (more than your average greybeard-dominated Catholic parish does, at least in my area) but I make sure to go to Catholic services for those holidays too, meaning, in Holy Week, sometimes up to four church services in a 72-hour period.

What do you think of the Gospel of Thomas?

The parts of it that don't have parallels in the Synoptics are mostly classic Gnostic "the real teachings are for the Special people; all the other sheeple have to just, idk, love God and love their neighbor or something" bullsh**t, albeit not as galling as other examples of that genre.

[All Along The Watchtower]

was Western Massachusetts local Silent Cal Coolidge really that bad, or was he just too lazy and trusting of his evil supply-side capitalist Treasury Secretary

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

was Western Massachusetts local Silent Cal Coolidge really that bad, or was he just too lazy and trusting of his evil supply-side capitalist Treasury Secretary

In my opinion, the latter. He was significantly more moderate as Mayor and as Governor than as President.

Also, I'm going to save that picture of Pope Francis earlier on this page for use as a reaction image.

[H. Ross Peron]

Do you have any position on eschatology?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Do you have any position on eschatology?

Eventually at some point time will stop and all that currently is--space and time, matter and energy, body and soul, flesh and blood, stone and sea, sun and moon and stars--will be replaced with something infinitely wilder, stranger, bigger, and better. I truly believe this. I don't have any more specific position than that, although I do tend to think that much of what's described in Revelation and other Christian and Jewish apocalyptic writings is stuff we're always-already living through rather than indications of things that will happen at specific points in the future.

[RFayette]

What are your thoughts on the Lutheran (and also Reformed) "law and gospel" dialectic?   

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

What are your thoughts on the Lutheran (and also Reformed) "law and gospel" dialectic?   

Not a fan. I once read an article on the Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, who wrote some antisemitic material early in his life but became much more interested in Christian-Jewish reconciliation as he got older, and this article made the observation that Balthasar advocated for a "law as pedagogy for freedom" model instead, which is a model that rings much truer to me. I think there are numerous points at which the Law provides mercy and a personal connection to God and numerous points at which the Gospel imposes obligations or threatens punishment; the division isn't as neat as most Protestant preachers and exegetes seem to think or wish it was.

Each model can cite numerous New Testament passages to back it up; this is one of several key issues on which there are in fact significant theological differences between the various New Testament texts, which the Church Fathers and the early ecumenical councils had to synthesize and which Luther and Calvin later reassessed. Speaking very very generally, the traditional Lutheran and Reformed position on this is more Pauline whereas the position that takes a somewhat more positive view of the Law is more Synoptic (one of many reasons why the "Jesus was a groovy guy all about being nice to people; Paul is the reason for everything harsh or difficult about Christianity" talking point is a complete crock of crap).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

On a whole is my ballot last year a Freedom Ballot?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

On a whole is my ballot last year a Freedom Ballot?

For the most part yeah, definitely! I've been known to do joke write-ins for unopposed races myself, and I voted straight-ticket Democratic last year too. Not all of the candidates you voted for are FFs themselves, but I'm sure their opponents were downright dreadful.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

On a whole is my ballot last year a Freedom Ballot?

For the most part yeah, definitely! I've been known to do joke write-ins for unopposed races myself, and I voted straight-ticket Democratic last year too. Not all of the candidates you voted for are FFs themselves, but I'm sure their opponents were downright dreadful.

Yeah I realized about half the people I wrote in are totally unknown, a lot aren't even "famous" in certain circles, it includes for example my church's current lead pastor and a local playwright and director. Not to mention Libertas.

And for the record Keith Ellison's opponent worked for the Alliance Defending Freedom if you need an example of just how dreadful he was.

[James Monroe]

1. What do you make of the regions in Massachusetts such as Central Mass, Cape Cod, and Middlesex County?

2. What is your opinion of New Hampshire?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

1. What do you make of the regions in Massachusetts such as Central Mass, Cape Cod, and Middlesex County?

I don't spend much time in Central Mass tbh so I don't have much of an opinion on it. I love Cape Cod; it's especially nice in the offseason, when there's still plenty to explore for someone who really knows and loves the Cape but the Bourne and Sagamore bridges aren't completely bottlenecked. Middlesex County isn't really a distinct cultural region in itself but I tend toward disliking most of its component parts.

2. What is your opinion of New Hampshire?

Toss-up/Tilt Horrible State.

[Mr. Reactionary]

This is probably a dumb question, but are you actually a Hugo nominee? When I first saw the new name I was tempted to send you a congratulatory message since that's really cool but then thought I may be reading to much into the name.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

This is probably a dumb question, but are you actually a Hugo nominee? When I first saw the new name I was tempted to send you a congratulatory message since that's really cool but then thought I may be reading to much into the name.

I wish! One of this year's nominees for Best Related Work is an archive site that I've contributed to, so the name is a joke about that.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Are you a fan of the word "communitarian?"

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Are you a fan of the word "communitarian?"

Less now than I used to be.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What do you think of this song?