Quodlibet
Driving in Neutral
I can't believe I'm writing this, but three cheers for the Kentucky Department of Motor Vehicles. "Obscene or vulgar" is how the Kentucky DMV categorized Kevin Hart's request to have "I'm God" emblazoned on his personalized license plates.
Mr. Hart then filed a lawsuit in federal court (of course) with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom from Religion Foundation (of course, of course). The court ruled in Mr. Hart's favor (of course), writing, "To allow such plates as 'IM4GOD' and 'LUVGOD' but reject 'IM GOD' belies viewpoint neutrality."
The court may be indifferent as to whether a man believes in God or blasphemes him, but there's nothing neutral about it. As Anthony Esolen once put it, there's no such thing as a beach ordinance that's neutral on nudity. It's either a nude beach or it isn't.
J. Douglas Johnson is the executive editor of Touchstone and the executive director of the Fellowship of St. James.
A Journal of Mere Christianity—Delivered to Your Door
- Essays on theology, culture, and the Church
- Contributors from across the Christian traditions
Six print issues (one year) of Touchstone, plus full online access and PDF downloads for only $39.95.
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
27.3—May/June 2014
Religious Freedom & Why It Matters
Working in the Spirit of John Leland by Robert P. George
20.7—September 2007
Paul Didn’t Build Bridges to Popular Culture by Russell D. Moore
31.4—July/August 2018
Labels & the Ecumenism of Discipleship by James M. Kushiner
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
