Matthew Schmitz

In 1979, a player for the Baltimore Orioles named Pat Kelly hit a home run and raised a finger in the air. A reporter later asked whether Kelly had meant to taunt the opposing fans. “I was pointing to my savior in the sky,” Kelly replied. “I was giving thanks to God almighty.” This gesture . . . . Continue Reading »

Tulsi Gabbard’s public career began with opposition to same-sex marriage. It’s a fact about the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii (who recently endorsed Donald Trump and joined his transition team) that is sometimes noted by her critics. But her history of opposition to LGBT causes is . . . . Continue Reading »

In the course of his seven-decade career, Clint Eastwood has come to be identified with a single striking proposition. Appearing as a hard-bitten detective, a nondescript pilot, or an aging boxing coach, he advances the claim that upholding a system—legal, mechanical, moral—will . . . . Continue Reading »

On June 2, 2024, protestors temporarily halted the Philly Pride Parade. They were not congregants of the Westboro Baptist Church or representatives of the Proud Boys but members of a group called Queers 4 Palestine. They held up a sign saying “No Pride in Genocide.” As . . . . Continue Reading »

Check all the boxes, then chuck it all aside at forty to follow your muse. Play by the rules and win, only to decide that you don’t want the prize. Most of the rebellions were minor. The devoted housewife informed her husband that she would not be cooking dinner for the family on Tuesday and . . . . Continue Reading »

For at least a generation, the phrase “religious right” has evoked a style of politics marked by hortatory rhetoric, foreign-policy interventionism, and support for the free movement of people and goods. This version of Christian politics reached its zenith during the George W. Bush . . . . Continue Reading »

Whereas John F. Kennedy encouraged Americans to view his Catholic faith as a private matter, Joe Biden has made his faith a defining element of his public identity. Biden wears a rosary bracelet, casually crosses himself during conversations with foreign dignitaries, and likes to conclude speeches . . . . Continue Reading »

In certain corners of the internet, a new form of anti-feminism is gaining currency. Rather than extol family values, it questions the institution of marriage. Instead of hymning heterosexual love, it glorifies male camaraderie. Far from opposing assisted reproductive technologies, it hopes that . . . . Continue Reading »

On August 3, more than 92,000 people filled Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, to view a women’s college volleyball match between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Omaha Mavericks. It was the largest crowd ever assembled for a women’s sporting event—in any sport, at any level, anywhere . . . . Continue Reading »

In the 1940s and 1950s, liberalism betrayed itself. Whereas once it had offered an ambitious vision of human perfection, now it began to insist on man’s fallen nature. Rather than propose a bold account of historical progress, it warned that visions of a blissful tomorrow could justify bloody . . . . Continue Reading »