Afternoon Links — 10.6.10

Michael Liccione explains the Gnostic Impulse . It is, he writes, “cosmic cynicism . . . the attitude which naturally springs up when we disbelieve that the ‘cosmos,’ that vast, more-or-less ordered whole we experience, is the product of a Love and a Reason that are one.”

Someone in Congress proposes a bill to cut Congressmen’s pay by 10% , force executive branch employees to take two weeks unpaid leave, and similar measures to save money.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn praises two of the alleged Medjugorje seers , despite the rulings of their own bishop.

Kevin O’Brien of EWTN asks What is James O’Keefe doing? and then follows up with a response to his Facebook answer .

Matthew Schmitz of the Witherspoon Institute examines Europe’s Choice on Conscience Protection , which “would create guidelines that encourage member states to force doctors to perform abortions in some circumstances and to make referrals for them in every circumstance.”

The Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler describes what he calls the “divorce divide” as a “national embarrassment.”

Famous lawyer Alan Dershowitz defends Benedict for his handling of the abuse scandal.

A Russian Orthodox archbishop predicts “a Christian spring” with “the divisions between Christians healed and a rebirth of the faith, gift of God, just as it was preached by the Apostles and preserved by the Fathers.”

Thanks to Mark Shea , CatholicCulture.org , and the New Oxford Review for leads.

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Church in the Age of Therapy

Matthew Loftus

In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…

Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot

Anna Farrow

On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…

The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen

Mike Aquilina

Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…