The recent decision by the Wyoming Supreme Court to strike down the state’s abortion restrictions rests on a pivotal claim: that abortion falls within a constitutional right to make one’s own healthcare decisions. That framing is not merely a legal conclusion. It’s a moral assertion with sweeping consequences. And it is, in most cases, profoundly…
Justice That Takes Life Seriously: Why the Death Penalty Remains Morally Just
Donald Trump’s renewed push to expand and emphasize the death penalty, particularly for murder, has reignited a debate that is often framed almost entirely in emotional or political terms. Yet beneath the rhetoric lies a far more serious moral question: does justice require that the taking of innocent human life be met with the most…
Power, Persecution, and the Cross
Yesterday’s U.S. strike against Islamic State–linked militants operating in Nigeria, reportedly carried out with the approval and cooperation of the Nigerian government, landed with the kind of moral thud that foreign-policy decisions rarely avoid. President Trump framed the action in part as a response to violence that has included the targeting of Christians, a claim…
Strength, Scruples, and the Question of Purity
President Trump’s decision to deploy U.S. forces near Venezuela has landed squarely in the middle of a long-running American struggle: how to exercise power responsibly in a world where every option carries moral risk. On the surface, the debate appears to be about strategy, legality, and geopolitics. Supporters emphasize deterrence, border security, and the disruption…
Moral Clarity in an Age of Evasion: Veterans, Abortion, and the Cost of Conviction
The controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s decision to reverse the Veterans Affairs abortion policy has been framed as a dispute over healthcare access, administrative authority, or political ideology. But those framings, while convenient, are ultimately evasions. At its core, this debate concerns whether the federal government should actively participate in the deliberate ending of innocent…
Syria, Sacrifice, and the High Cost We’re Too Quick to Call “Waste”
The deadly attack on American personnel in Syria—and President Trump’s pledge of a decisive response—has once again forced the country to confront a question we never seem to settle: What is worth the cost? Every time U.S. service members are killed abroad, the debate begins almost instantly. Why are we there? What are we gaining?…
Restoring Accountability: A Pauline Diagnosis for America
If the Apostle Paul were alive today — which, theologically speaking, he most certainly is, just not in Washington, D.C. — he would probably take one long look at our national headlines, sigh deeply, and begin writing another epistle. Not to the Corinthians this time, nor the Galatians, nor the Thessalonians, but perhaps “Paul, an…
The Pentagon’s Transgender Policy and the Moral Battle for the Military’s Soul
In early October, the Pentagon released a memo tightening enforcement of President Trump’s renewed ban on transgender service members. The new policy allows commanders to override separation boards, requires troops to appear in uniforms corresponding to their biological sex, and directs that anyone diagnosed with gender dysphoria be recommended for discharge. The memo has drawn…
A Just Defense: Israel’s Strike on Iran Through a Christian Lens
Some critics are claiming that Israel’s preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear sites and military assets violates historic Christian just war principles. But is that accusation fair, or is it just naïve wishful thinking from people who overlook Iran’s long, bloody record of threats and terror? Let’s tackle this honestly and biblically, sprinkled with some good…
Justice with Compassion: Considering the Asylum Fee in the OBBBA
Yesterday, we dug into the $46.5 billion proposal to secure our southern border, a major investment in national sovereignty. Today, we’re turning our attention to another measure tucked into the OBBBA: a $1,000 fee slapped on migrants seeking asylum in the United States. For the first time in our nation’s history, those fleeing war, persecution,…
The Independent Christian Conservative 