Richard John Neuhaus

Some tough words from the usually understated and scrupulously cautious Mark Chopko, general counsel of the U.S. bishops conference. Surveying legislative and regulative initiatives impinging upon various medical, social, and educational ministries, he says religious institutions are being . . . . Continue Reading »

For several years now there has been a raft of books and articles aimed at debunking notions of “American exceptionalism.” With respect to the last century of “secularization theory,” that debunking is necessary. In that theory, the vitality of religion in the United States . . . . Continue Reading »

Last Monday was another gathering of the Dulles Colloquium. We’ve been doing this for more than fifteen years. The colloquium is named, of course, in honor of Avery Cardinal Dulles (and was started long before he was elevated to the College of Cardinals). It is one of a number of groups of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Public Square Going on five years since September 11, 2001, and many, if not most, Americans seem very uncertain about what it means that we are at war—or whether we really are at war. There is a nearly unanimous agreement that there are “terrorists” out there, and maybe some among us, and . . . . Continue Reading »

Two of the most influential theologians of the last century, Karl Barth and Reinhold Niebuhr, shared the distinction of not having earned doctorates. Niebuhr was a mite uneasy about that and at times turned it into the virtue of not being an academic. In a new book by Martin Halliwell, professor of . . . . Continue Reading »

Steven Waldman is editor-in-chief of Beliefnet, and is working on a book on religion and the American founders. He writes: Contemporary religious conservatives can certainly find quotes from Founding Fathers to support their claims that government should aggressively support religion. They’ll . . . . Continue Reading »

Readers have asked why I do not regularly respond to the public criticism aimed at F IRST T HINGS and me personally. Those who follow The Public Square section of the magazine know that I frequently do respond. Usually I try not to make heavy weather of criticism, and my tone is sometimes joshing, . . . . Continue Reading »

This is a very old genre of humor. The darndest things that children say have, I suppose, elicited adult chuckles from the beginnings of human language. In any event, these examples were sent by a source that certifies they were written by children in a Catholic school and have not been edited. . . . . Continue Reading »

Since you asked, last Friday’s 222nd Annual Dinner of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was a memorable occasion. It’s a black tie affair with several thousand men (it is the sons of St. Patrick, after all) packed into the main ballroom of the Sheraton Towers, a few of us being honorary . . . . Continue Reading »

The May issue of F IRST T HINGS will include a careful look at the prospect of obtaining stem cells for research in ways that do not involve creating and killing human embryos. It is an admittedly complicated question, and some ethicists—mainly but not exclusively Catholic—have deep . . . . Continue Reading »