Nathaniel Peters

One question that has always surrounded Benedict’s tenure as pope has been that of the sex-abuse scandals. In their assessment of his papacy, even otherwise friendly commentators, such as Ross Douthat, have said that he did not do enough to combat abuse, punish wrong-doers, and console . . . . Continue Reading »

Recently a friend introduced me to the Orlando di Lasso motet “Tristis Est Anima Mea,” a beautiful piece that captures in words and music the quiet, expectant sorrow of Lent and the coming sacrifice in which Christ is handed over to sinners for the salvation of sinners. The words are . . . . Continue Reading »

Here is a superb piece from one of the greatest theologians of the world on the work of another. John Milbank writes an extensive essay on Pope Benedict’s vision of love and politics. I would argue that he and (to a lesser extent) Benedict are more negative than they should be about . . . . Continue Reading »

Garry Wills—-whose latest book raises a call against the priesthood—-claims that he can remain a Catholic while espousing the common doctrines of low-church Protestantism, without the theologically nuanced arguments that most low-church Protestants make. And he throws out the book of . . . . Continue Reading »

At Public Discourse , Peter Blair reviews Roger Scruton’s intriguing case for a conservative environmentalism: In the conservative vision, threats to one’s home, environmental or otherwise, are met by public spiritedness, by volunteering efforts united by what Scruton calls “ . . . . Continue Reading »

If we want to shrink the income and achievement gaps, we need to grow the vocabularies of our children. So writes E.D. Hirsch, one of the brightest lights in the world of educational theory: Such correlations between vocabulary size and life chances are as firm as any correlations in educational . . . . Continue Reading »

Piggybacking onto Joe Lindsley’s post, which captures Notre Dame so well, readers might enjoy G.K. Chesterton’s poem about Notre Dame football, reflecting on how the gladiatorial games were transformed by the coming of Christ. You can read the whole thing here , but the final stanzas . . . . Continue Reading »

Chanticleer, one of America’s finest choral groups, has introduced me to Christmas spirituals and gospel music. Here’s my discovery for this year: “Somebody Talkin Bout Jesus.” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tiyUt1SNaU?rel=0&w=500&h=281] . . . . Continue Reading »

Today on  Public Discourse , Mark Regnerus speculates about the connection he found between men who support gay marriage and men who use pornography. Today’s pornography treats viewers to “a veritable fire-hose dousing of sex-act diversity.” Moreover, it doesn’t . . . . Continue Reading »

Should we scrap chivalry as sexist? At the Atlantic , Emily Esfahani Smith writes that we should instead reground it in its original roots : Historically, the chivalry ideal and the practices that it gave rise to were never about putting women down, as Connelly and other feminists argue. . . . . Continue Reading »