Mark T. Mitchell is the co-founder of Front Porch Republic. He is the Dean of Academic Affairs at Patrick Henry College and the author of several books including Plutocratic Socialism, Power and Purity, The Limits of Liberalism, The Politics of Gratitude, and Localism in Mass Age: A Front Porch Republic Manifesto (co-editor).
Mark T. Mitchell
Articles by Mark T. Mitchell
FPR in NYT
In the NYT this morning, David Brooks has a column titled "The Conservative Future." While many on the main-stream right are despairing over the dismal results of the election, there…
On Thanks-Giving
Hidden Springs Lane. It’s been a long political season. Some Americans are excited about the prospect of an Obama second term. Others are despondent. Many on both sides are exhausted.…
Support FPR Today!
Dear Readers, In the coming months, Front Porch Republic will be investing more resources in our website, events, and other ventures. The site will feature more writers (including some that…
Why Urban Christians Need Wendell Berry
At Christianity Today, Jake Meador argues that Wendell Berry has something important to teach urban Christians. At root, Berry's Port William is a worshiping community. Indeed, I don't know another…
Boycotting Boycotts
David Walbert explains how to avoid hypocrisy. Last week, walking across campus to the library, I was interrupted (I don’t want to say “accosted”) by a woman in her early…
Debt-Free Farming
Over at The American Conservative website, Glenn Arbery writes of a farmer who seeks to remain as independent and self-sufficient as possible. But it has not been easy. Nevertheless, These…
Christopher Lasch on Presidental Debates
As the first of the presidential debates approaches, it is helpful (though not necessarily heartening) to turn to Christopher Lasch, whose understanding of American democracy was profound. The following paragraphs…
Crazy Quilt Conservatism
Hidden Springs, VA.Last week the Washington Post ran a story titled “Rethinking the Classroom: Obama’s Overhaul of Public Education.” The piece described the various ways Obama has asserted himself into…
Thanks to Jason Peters, aka The Bar Jester
Since FPR's inception in March of 2009, Jason Peters has written a weekly column. Without missing a single week, he has, with his inimitable style, regaled FPR readers with his…
Conference Schedule
The conference will be on the campus of Hope College in Holland, MI. Go to the Maas Conference Center on the corner of Tenth and Columbia, on the back side…
The Culture of Hospitality
Hidden Springs, VA. In two recent pieces, I argued that 1) the language of “culture war” is not helpful and should be discarded, and 2) that to the extent that…
FPR Conference: Register Now
If you have put off registering for the conference but plan to attend, please register if possible. This will give us a better idea of how much food we'll need…
Liberal Culture?
The word “culture” readily falls from our lips, but what appears on first glance to be a clear-cut notion becomes much more complex as soon as we attempt to define…
Culture War No More
In recent decades we have heard much of the so-called “culture wars.” For many, the idiom of war has come to dominate their thinking in all things cultural and this,…
Register Now for FPR’s Fall Conference in Holland, MI
Registration is now open for our Second Annual Conference to be held on September 15. This time we will be in Holland, MI on the beautiful campus of Hope College.…
Prisoners Pedal to Produce Power
Meanwhile, an article from Tree Hugger: Brazil's Santa Rita do Sapucaí prison, following the suggestion of a local judge, recently installed electricity-generating stationary bikes as part of a plan to…
The 10,000 Mile Diet vs. the Locavores
The Atlantic has an on-line piece debating the virtues of the locavore movement. An economist named Pierre Desrochers is promoting his book titled The Locavore's Dilemma: In Praise of the…
Gays Acting Badly in the White House: A Comparative Study
Recently I read Up From Slavery, the autobiography of Booker T. Washington. It is an inspiring story of hard work, perseverance, and clear vision. Washington fought an up hill battle…
An Alternative to Sprawl
According to an article in The New York Times, many Americans are tiring of the lifestyle associated with sprawl and, finally, developers are responding. The age of the McMansion may…
The Unmaking and Making of Community
The following is a talk given at the annual conference of The Academy of Philosophy and Letters on June 16, 2012 in Baltimore, MD. In her book The Need for…
Flipping the Woolly Bugger
Finding myself 2000 miles from Montana but with a couple of boys who want to go fishing, we ventured into the brown waters of the Shenandoah River. This is, according…
The Hunger Games: Kids Killing Kids
Spring grades are in, so it’s time for a bit of fiction. And since I’ve been hearing plenty of buzz about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (now a major…
A Congressman for our Time (and Place)
See Rod Dreher's interview of Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), one of the few Congressmen who would feel right at home on the porch. Here's a snippet, but read it all.…
Multiply Your Associations and be Free
My review of Robert Nisbet's classic The Quest for Community was just published at the On-Line Library of Law and Liberty, whose stated purpose is "to bring together high-caliber conservative…