Dear reader,
Welcome to The Paradox Press. As we launch this new publication, I want to explain who we are and why we felt compelled to start something like this. In short, The Paradox Press exists because America is in moral, spiritual, and political decline. I could wade through the statistics and remind you of the declining birth rates and the increasing abortions rates. We could discuss the general apathy that most Americans feel towards their politicians and governmental representatives. We could even talk about the economy and gas prices. But statistics and facts don’t paint the full picture about what is happening in America. There are underlying reasons why young women resent children and why the killing of infants persists.
It’s become obvious that the general public is tired of the two political options that have long been put in front of them. One of these options is a socially liberal movement that is built on the ideology of Rousseau and Foucault—the Democrats. This group champions the mutilation of children, dies on the hill of infant sacrifice, and resentfully covets those who might have more money than them. On the other side you have an economically liberal movement built on libertarian ideas—the Republicans. This group has proven to possess one aim and goal in all of life and that is to build up endless wealth, even at the expense of beauty, nature, family, and the church.
Both movements are rooted, at their core, in the same false conception of liberty and freedom. One in which the freedom that is granted to us, the American people, is a freedom to do whatever one wants rather than what the Founding Fathers understood liberty to be. That is, the freedom to pursue what is truly good and right. The freedom to tell the truth and live in accordance with the truth. This idea of liberty wasn’t originated in the late 1700s by the American Founding Fathers—no, it came into existence much earlier in world history and has been maintained through not a political document, but a theological one. The Bible.
True Conservative thought is dependent entirely on the Bible. Every idea that this country was founded on is predicated on the Bible. But which political party represents the Bible? Which party champions, without hesitation and fear, the words of Christ? The answer is simple: neither. Neither party is interested in a Conservative America. And this means that true Conservatives are left to vote for candidates that represent the lesser of two evils—in which case, they are forced to vote Republican, third party, or to not vote at all.
You may say that that is only the political landscape and that we, as Christians, must not be so political. We disagree. As many in recent years have noted, human beings are political beings. We are social. We live in towns and cities. And we all have opinions on how those towns and cities should be run and governed and because of this, we are all political. And if we are all political, we are all then forced to decide what (or whom) will possess our political spirit. Will it be the Christ of the Bible? Or will it be Nietzsche? Sadly for many Westerners, whether they know it or now, Nietzsche and his companions govern their political thought and action. It can be argued that the Church has been at-large possessed by this same devilish spirit in recent years with many mainstream theologians, pastors, and Christian figures publicly favoring political candidates that support infanticide, sodomy, and the mutilation of children. Still others have taken what they deem to be a more noble stance in supporting the libertarian populist, President Donald J. Trump (I too supported him). But these more noble (and I say that with sincerity) people have fallen prey to the power that comes with political prominence. Many of those who have supported President Trump in the past have refused to criticize him for his betrayal of the American people and, more specifically, his voters in the present.
President Trump promised no new wars in the Middle East. We are now in a several months-long war with Iran that has no off-ramp. Trump promised to release the Epstein files and, in his first year in office has done everything in his power to stop their release, even going as far as to campaign against Republicans who have fought to release the pedophile tapes and records. These are two of many instances in which President Trump has lied to and even completely turned his back on his constituents. And what have those who previously supported Trump done in response to this betrayal? Nothing. A major portion of Evangelical leaders have decided that proximity to false power is more advantageous for them than proximity to the God who is power.
So where does this leave us? It leaves us with an opportunity and a responsibility. True Christians who are tired of the political platitudes and petty power games can band together and to set forth a new vision for Conservatives. One that is not afraid to say that a comprehensive, reasonable, and logical political philosophy must be rooted in a shared presupposition: the Bible. We can admit that philosophical and theological plurality is not actually advantageous for harmonious communal living. We can aspire to see beauty as equal to truth and goodness and we can admit that any philosophy or economic theory that is unbridled will become corrupt, so long as human beings are the ones implementing and promoting it (even Capitalism!).
This is our goal at The Paradox Press: to set forth a vision for a Comprehensive Christian Conservatism rooted in the genius of the Bible and those who have exposited the Bible like G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, B.B. Warfield, J.I. Packer and the like.
How are we going to do this? In the first ten weeks of this publication, we will be releasing a series of ten essays. These essays will be written by the following writers and scholars:
- Dr. Dale Ahlquist
- Dr. David Deaval
- Dr. Keith Campbell
- Dr. Jared Compton
- Dr. Mary Talley Bowden
- Dr. Louis Markos
- Dr. Wilfred McClay
- Dr. Matthew Franck
We are thrilled to have these wonderful and world-renowned writers working with us. We will release one essay per week for the first ten weeks—all of these essays will be free for anyone to read. Along with these essays, I will release one podcast interview per week from the Orthodoxy Podcast. Some of these interviews will be with the authors of these essays. After the first ten weeks is over, we will put a paywall up and ask for those of you who see the value in what we’re doing to pay for a subscription to get access to restricted content and help us build this publication.
I ask that you spend some time on this site, read the essays, comment on them, share them, and think through what they are saying. A publication like this cannot be successful if you aren’t engaged and interested.
The American experiment is on its last leg regardless of what the modern enthusiastic and opportunistic optimists may tell you. A society cannot continue while it commits literal and theological suicide. The American church cannot continue if it refuses to repent of its wickedness and turn back to Christ. The Paradox Press is not the answer to the questions regarding the future of Western civilization and the desecration of the America spirit. What we hope to be is a map for younger generations who are willing and able to rebuild a great society on the foundation of the Bible. We hope to be a guide that points towards the answer. I ask that you join us in this endeavor and engage in the tumultuous trek towards rebuilding, from the ground up, a great nation.
Sincerely,
Andrew Schmitt (Co-Founder)
