Apostoic

  • When There Is Pestilence In The Land Part 3

    For those returning from earlier installments: thanks and welcome to you. Those largely dealt with “what” we’re called to do when there’s plague in the land. Years ago, this content was framed as a letter to local pastors during COVID. My son was 7 at the time, and I believe he understood the matter better…

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  • When There Is Pestilence In The Land Part 2

    He who frames the question… Perhaps you’ve heard the adage, “He who frames the question wins the debate.” Those who fear COVID or HANTA or any other disease- they’re not just getting the wrong answers; they’re asking the wrong questions. So we need a better framework to test the worthiness of our questions. During COVID,…

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  • When There Is Pestilence In The Land: Part 1

    Here we go again… Have you ever been mucking out the barn and thought to yourself, “I’ve shoveled this shi–stuff before”? I hope you’ve had that thought, because that’s where I find myself today as I’m writing this, and it might be hard for you to understand and empathize otherwise. I know I’m a month…

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  • Sacred Sarcasm

    Sacred Sarcasm

    Purpose: We have encountered some Christians who object to Logic Slap, calling it unkind. Such persons insist that preaching the gospel may never employ techniques like mockery or sarcasm; these are inherently evil. Our purpose herein is not to convince others to employ our methods, but to challenge an a priori commitment, demonstrating it is…

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  • Building Your Three-Foot World

    An Apostoic article by guest author Terry Smith There is real wisdom in the idea of staying in your three-foot world. In moments of fear, grief, or uncertainty, the mind easily runs beyond its proper jurisdiction, dragging yesterday’s regrets into today and borrowing tomorrow’s trouble. It imagines outcomes, losses, and dangers that may never come.…

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  • Newton’s Third Law in the Nursery: A Social Physics Guide to Calm Discipline (and Its Limits)

    Today, I’d like to expound on a metaphor that was presented some time ago in my parable, the Lazy Spinner. I don’t know that it’s a phenomenal metaphor. It has shortcomings and a limited scope. But, it’s been useful to me in parenting my children, husbanding my wife, and in dealing with interpersonal tension. I’d…

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  • Apatheia, Not Apathy: Why True Stoicism Demands Engagement, Not Retreat

    I identify publicly with Stoic philosophy in my social media bios. In my case, this identification is transparently partial; Christ first. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts…

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  • Void Invites Invasion: A Homily on Filling Your Time With Good Works

    Special Guest PostGuest Author: Father James Sullivan Dearly beloved in the Lord, as we journey through this holy season of Lent, a time appointed by the Church for self-examination, repentance, and renewal, we are confronted today by the solemn words of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel appointed for this Third Sunday.  From the…

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  • A Christian Analysis of Stoicism and Self-Control in Man of Steel: Superman’s Restraint and Biblical Wisdom – Part 2

    Guest Author S. D. Davis For those who are returning, thank you and welcome back.  For those who’ve found themselves in the middle of something I encourage you to read part 1 of the series first.  Last week I argued that Man of Steel is correctly understood as a philosophical examination of self-control and discipline. …

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  • A Christian Analysis of Stoicism and Self-Control in Man of Steel: Superman’s Restraint and Biblical Wisdom – Part 1

    Guest Author: S. D. Davis Growing up, Superman was my favorite everything: comic book hero, cartoon character, action figure, lunchbox mascot—you name it. I won’t deny this was in part due to the sensationalism that necessarily surrounds a creature who has every imaginable power and only one remote, impossibly inconvenient weakness. However, I was also…

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  • Robert Morrison and the Day of Small Things: One Secret Baptism That Changed Millions—and Why Your Small Voice Matters in the Culture War

    In the summer of 1807, a young Scotsman named Robert Morrison stepped off the ship Trident onto the bustling docks of Macau, China. His heart was full of a burning desire, a deep impetus of conviction that he could not ignore. His heart pounding, the heavy sensation of being alone pressed down upon him. Nervousness,…

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  • The Virtue of Temperance: Why Loose Oversight and Emotional Reactionism Leads to Excess and Decay in Public Stewardship – The Minnesota Fraud Scandals

    The internet thrives on outrage. It is the fuel that keeps us scrolling, returning again and again to the digital coliseum. With my mouth I profess to hate what the internet has become; a polarized political battlescape of shrieking ideologs. But do I really? A contradiction reveals itself in my actions. If I truly abhor…

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  • The Parable of the Besieged Fortress and the Weeping Warrior: An Appeal for Christian Unity

    In a vast and ancient kingdom, there once stood a strong fortress, perched high upon a hill. Its towering stone walls were a steadfast guardian over the valleys below, it’s principled governance and dignified generosity sheltered the poor and the sojourner for generations. But the wise and beloved king, whose words and deeds inspired songs…

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  • The Nominal Conquest Fallacy: Definition, Examples, and Why We Need This New Logical Fallacy in 2025

    First published: 3 December 2025Canonical URL: https://growingsemistoic.wpcomstaging.com/nominal-conquest-fallacy/Author: Daniel Spencer Cook – Apostoic.com Nominal Conquest Fallacy – Formal DefinitionProposed name: Nominal Conquest (Latin nominalis “pertaining to a name” + conquestio “seizure”)Also known as: Fallacy of Nominal Conquest, Definitional Conquest, Lexical Conquest Fallacy Logical Form First Academic Definition (2025)The Nominal Conquest Fallacy occurs when an ideological movement deliberately…

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  • In This Way Too Shall a Day Pass: A Better Christian Stoicism

    In the half-light of dawn, Viktor trudges through the frozen mud. His feet are raw with blisters from ragged shoes that do not fit, handed down from a former occupant with no more need. He shudders at the promise of the day’s forced labor. Victor has been a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps for…

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  • The Song that Killed the Village: Forced Speech in the Workplace

    Elderglen’s pride was its nightly hymn. Every evening since the first stone was laid, they gathered in the square and sang the Truthsong, rooted deeply in the faith that bound them together. “We speak what is, we speak what’s real. Our voices joined, the truth we seal.” They sang of the blessings that kept them…

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  • Apostoic Advice to the Self: On Arguments

    Arguments reveal more than truth, they reveal the character. Will I be arrogantly right, humbly wrong, or the inverse? Will I lose while winning, or win while losing? Here is my recent counsel to myself, offered up for your critique and possible benefit. On insignificant arguments:When certain you’re right, don’t let it show. At least…

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