I am writing today from the island of Les Embiez off the coast of Toulon in southern France. It is a VERY nice place. I’m blessed to have gotten to come here for the weekend to meet with a bunch of Christian business leaders and other such types to network and talk about “the issues.”

I think it’s really important that anyone even remotely on the same page as each other with regard to the role of Christianity and classical Western civilization work together and see past their differences to build up shields and swords against the forces of rabid secularism (and Islam). We rise and fall together to a great degree.

I am more than a bit skeptical of the liberal view of religious liberty – I am what would be called an “integralist” – but that doesn’t preclude ecumenical interventions and cooperation on large projects that create bulwarks against the most powerful and evil people around. Definitely not everything needs to be or should be ecumenical (let alone interreligious), but when that’s actually advantageous politically or economically then we should embrace it, not balk. Team-playing also creates opportunities for meaningful conversations about religious truth.

Sometimes ecumenical ventures are easier than projects among Catholics with slightly different opinions, projects, “circles.” Like two half-notes on a piano being played together – the dissonance is just too much. But we have to get over this. That division is of the Devil. It’s not from God.

We need to work together as far as possible. We need to be looking for ways to build up “the team,” even if it makes us uncomfortable or forces us to swallow our pride. We can’t be self-promoters, we must be “us”-promoters, freedom-promoters, and Christ-promoters.