The Editors

Elizabeth Scalia on a mass less ordinary : Stipulating that many will perceive a “get off my lawn” note to that—and I know this because I have been accused of not understanding that one aspect of the mass is to aid the church in “being community”—I don’t think my . . . . Continue Reading »

Nicholas Frankovich on religion reporting that descends into meme : On February 25, the Associated Press ran a story with the headline “Santorum Benefits from Mistaken Religious Identity.” What does that mean? To anyone passably literate in contemporary American politics, it suggests that . . . . Continue Reading »

Nathaniel Peters considers whether Christians should be wary of conscience talk : Does freedom of conscience lead to a naked public square? When religious people try to protect their own rights of conscience, does this undermine their ability to advance their convictions publicly? In responding to . . . . Continue Reading »

Russell E. Saltzman on how there is no such thing as a “good death” : He has reached a point where the toxins of renal failure have begun to occupy his days and his nights. A by-product are deep episodes of hallucination. He sees ants on the floor, stuffed animals coming to life. Most . . . . Continue Reading »

George Weigel on the Catholic diaspora and the tragedy of liberal Catholicism : In a February 14 note to his people, Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., the archbishop of Chicago, commented on the question of “who speaks for the Catholic Church,” which had become a subject of public . . . . Continue Reading »

Joshua Genig on President Obama: Pastor-in-Chief : I am not political. At least I try not to be. I do not spend time, nor do I enjoy, discussing national politics. Some do. Some pastors get so bogged down in such things that they never really get on to the business of caring for souls. Blogging . . . . Continue Reading »

R.R. Reno on the After Liberalism Seminar : Today, with the support of the Simon/Hertog Fund for Policy Analysis, the Institute on Religion and Public Life, publisher of First Things and host of firstthings.com will gather a group of nearly twenty scholars for the After Liberalism Seminar. Our goal . . . . Continue Reading »

Peter J. Leithart on  Rick Santorum and secular natural law : Rick Santorum recently criticized Obama’s worldview as a “phony theology not based on the Bible.” A few days ago, the  Drudge Report  resurrected a 2008 speech in which Santorum warned that Satan has it in . . . . Continue Reading »

Andrew Haines on using Ockham’s Razor as an Axe : I am sick of hearing about Ockham’s Razor. Not because I think it’s an unimportant thing to understand, mind you, but rather because it has been almost universally  misunderstood  and so is almost always misapplied. One . . . . Continue Reading »

George Weigel on clerical narcissism and Lent : Since the introduction of the new liturgical texts this past November, I’ve attended Mass in Australia, California, New York, Rome, Washington, and Phoenix, and in none of these venues have I detected any of the calamities confidently predicted . . . . Continue Reading »