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On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In his latest On the Square column , Peter J. Leithart reflects on the meaning of the Word becoming flesh: The incarnation is not an act of mere sympathy. The Word becomes flesh to transform it from within, to transfigure flesh through the cross and resurrection. In death, the Word is sown in . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In today’s On the Square feature, Christopher White explains how the Catholic Church’s helps prevent the spread of AIDS : To a large extent, World AIDS Day has become a kind of World Condom Day. For many, it’s still hard to forget the images of the large obelisk in the center of . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In today’s On the Square feature, Howard Kainz notes that some atheist philosophers of science have joined with Intelligent Design theorists in the criticizing neo-Darwinism : Jerry Fodor and Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini, in  What Darwin Got Wrong  come at neo-Darwinism from a . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In today’s On the Square feature, Robert Schwarzwalder and Julia Kiewit call on evangelicals to stand up for religious liberty : Every Christian school in the nation that offers insurance to its employees or students will be affected by the 2010 health care law—as schools like the . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In today’s On the Square feature, David Bentley Hart takes on the “Oxfordian hypothesis” and its champions : If you are unacquainted with the “Oxfordian hypothesis,” count yourself blessed. It was born in 1920, in a book by a demented English Comtean whom Fate, with her . . . . Continue Reading »

Happy Thanksgiving

From First Thoughts

Due to the holiday, we won’t have a new On the Square feature today. We’ll return with a new article (and blog posts) tomorrow. On behalf of the staff of First Things , we wish you all a safe and joyful Thanksgiving. . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In his latest On the Square column , George Weigel explains the need to downsize the Catholic Church in Ireland: Catholicism is in crisis all over Old Europe. Nowhere is that crisis more pronounced than in Ireland, where clerical corruption and disastrous episcopal leadership have collided with . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In her latest On the Square column , Elizabeth Scalia notes that niceness isn’t always a virtue: Lately I have noticed in some of my acquaintances the development of a very grave and solemn habit, indeed—a tendency to expect niceness in everyone they meet, particularly in professed . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In his latest On the Square column , R.R. Reno considers the impending end of social democracy: Greek bonds have become toxic because of decades of political decisions. Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian bonds may go the same way, and for the same reasons. It is important, therefore, to understand . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

From First Thoughts

In his latest On the Square column , Peter J. Leithart comments on how the Church lost her soundscape: What Islam and the Reformation initiated, American churches have completed, voluntarily. Beginning with the charismatic revival and the Jesus movement, the most theologically conservative . . . . Continue Reading »