John Horvat II, Author at Return to Order

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should—What Kaepernick Doesn’t Get

by John Horvat II September 14, 2016September 14, 2016

The Colin Kaepernick controversy is symptomatic of our days. A major league football quarterback sits down during the national anthem as a protest. The liberals crown him a hero exercising his freedom to protest against alleged injustice. The conservatives deplore his action (rightly so) because it dishonors the flag and the nation. Another case in … Read more

Ten Varieties of Wheat Thins: Is There Real Choice?

by John Horvat II March 22, 2017September 13, 2016

When reading the manuscript of the book Return to Order, one of the editors remarked that while he agreed with the book’s criticism of standardization, there are still plenty of choices out there. After all, he quipped, how could he give up the ten varieties of wheat thins found at the local Wal-Mart.

The comment made me pause a bit. I had to admit that he had a point. There certainly are a lot of choices out there – and yet no one can deny that there is also a lot of standardization out there. How do you reconcile the two things?

Free Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go

To solve the problem, I decided to take a trip to Wal-Mart. I just had to see these wheat thins for myself.

What I found was disconcerting. As you enter Wal-Mart, you are hit by row upon row of choices of just about everything. The place is huge and it took some time to navigate my way to the wheat thins. But finally I found them. There was a whole section dedicated to the snack. I found not ten varieties but 26 different kinds of wheat thins. As I went down the aisle, there were similar findings – 18 different types of Saltines, 12 types of ginger snaps and so on. My standardization claim was completely discredited before the undeniable evidence.

‘Return to Order’…in Las Vegas?

by John Horvat II September 5, 2016September 3, 2016

Return to Order is a book that criticizes the frenetic intemperance of modern life that throws off all restraint. If there is one place where this frenetic intemperance can be found, it is in the practice of gambling. Thus, some might think it strange that this book would find great success in Las Vegas, the … Read more

The #Never Election That Is Making Americans Uneasy

by John Horvat II February 9, 2018September 1, 2016

If there is a consensus about the present election, it is that most people are unhappy with the choices. This can be seen in the fact that many voters are identifying themselves with Twitter hashtags by which they become #never voters who vow never to vote for one candidate or the other (or both). These hashtag-never … Read more

Thousands Petition to Keep Cross in Public

by John Horvat II September 1, 2016

Petitions are being gathered nationwide to support the Bladensburg Cross, a monument in the form of a cross dedicated to honor American heroes of World War I. The Cross, standing forty feet tall in a road median in the town of Bladensburg, Maryland, was erected in 1925 by the residents of Prince George County to … Read more

Petition Fights Satanic School Program

by John Horvat II August 30, 2016

Concerned Christians and parents are joining together and raising their voices against a new after-school program sponsored by The Satanic Temple. The program, called “After School Satan Club,” is attempting to open in at least nine school districts nationwide, some of which were unaware of the group’s intention to enter their schools. Doug Menser,The Satanic … Read more

The Manliness of the Prodigal Son

by John Horvat II September 1, 2016August 29, 2016

The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most memorable and moving of all Our Lord Jesus Christ’s parables. Many who cannot name all Ten Commandments can nevertheless give a rough outline of the story. It has been widely represented in Christian art since the Middle Ages, and even today is often referenced … Read more

Feudalism: Work of the Medieval Family

by John Horvat II March 27, 2017August 29, 2016

Frantz Funck-Brentano, a member of the Institute of France, describes the role of the family in the constitution of feudal society in his celebrated work L’Ancien Régime: The Ancien Régime grew out of feudal society. Nothing contradicts this. As for the feudal system, it was produced, in that astonishing period which ran from the middle … Read more

‘Return to Order’ Earns Tenth Award: Underscores Book’s Broad Appeal

by John Horvat II August 30, 2016August 27, 2016

SPRING GROVE, PENN (Aug. 27, 2016) – The book, Return to Order, has just won its tenth award, a milestone that underscores the author’s message is resonating with an America that needs to find its moral compass. The book, written by John Horvat II, vice president for The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, … Read more

The Technologically Backward and Cold Romans

by John Horvat II August 21, 2016

We are conditioned to believe that the Roman Empire was technologically superior to the Middle Ages in every way. This was far from true. Daily life in the winter was miserable in Roman times for both slave and Caesar. Rodney Stark explains that Roman buildings were horribly heated. They had no fireplaces, stoves, or furnaces … Read more