The Editors

William Doino Jr. on  Rupert Shortt and a church besieged : As anxious as many Christians are about religious freedom in America, nothing we’ve experienced—and God willing, never will—comes close to the brutal persecution of Christians abroad. The stunning extent of this . . . . Continue Reading »

Wesley J. Smith on the high price of establishment : I happened to be in London when the Church of England voted to reject female bishops. The verdict came as quite a surprise. Women have been ordained as priests in the Church for twenty years, and allowing them to become bishops would certainly . . . . Continue Reading »

Leroy Huizenga on the variety of Bible translations : Growing up in the 1980s, it seemed there were a few basic Bible translations different Christians in my circles used. My Evangelical friends had the New International Version (NIV), we Lutherans had the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and my . . . . Continue Reading »

George Weigel on sacred language for sacred acts : It was just about a year ago that U.S. parishes began using the new translations of the third edition of the Roman Missal—an implementation process that seems to have gone far more smoothly than some anticipated. Wrinkles remain to be ironed . . . . Continue Reading »

Elizabeth Scalia is ready to start the apocalypse : Experiencing unprecedented economic, spiritual, and constitutional challenges, Americans re-elected both a president of questionable competence and many of the same artless, priorities-challenged politicians who have already proved themselves . . . . Continue Reading »

R.R. Reno updates his ranking of theology programs : Where’s the best place to do graduate study in theology? I’ve done some rankings in the past, first in 2006 and then again in 2009. A longer ranking with a more developed rationale appeared in the pages of First Things in 2010. Some . . . . Continue Reading »

Matt Emerson on faith and the “Catholic moment” : Is this a “Catholic moment”? Six of the nine Supreme Court justices are Catholic, the vice president and former vice presidential candidate are Catholic, and Catholic moral theology, specifically the Church’s opposition to . . . . Continue Reading »

George Weigel on Cardinal Martini and secular culture : Eighteenth-century British Jacobites wistfully toasted “the king over the water,” referring to exiled King James II, his successors, and the Jacobite hope for a Stuart restoration to the throne of the United Kingdom. Throughout the . . . . Continue Reading »

Elizabeth Scalia on the Mass of the very old men : SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 6:25 AM: In the palest light, I follow footprints left in the season’s first frost, just a few minutes behind the regulars. The church’s glaring overhead lights are softened by the flame-glow of a few dozen . . . . Continue Reading »

William Doino Jr. on the temptation of secular conservatism : This two-front assault on traditional conservatism has taken a toll. Intimidated by loose (and often ludicrous) charges of “theocracy,” many committed religious believers have hesitated to cite the Bible in support of anything . . . . Continue Reading »