Various

When I left the ordained ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and was received into the communion of the Roman Catholic Church, I made a private decision that I would not use my conversion for apologetic or critical purposes. But I must break my own rule after reading the . . . . Continue Reading »

Copyright (c) 1999 First Things 92 (April 1999): 9, 11, 29, 35, 41, . The Sacrament of Penance I. Absolution a second plank given to us by the mercy of God after shipwreck Edward Pusey Forgiven once“ and“for“all at our birthing baptism we still circle high seas, forget to breathe . . . . Continue Reading »

The Prince of Egypt: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Compact Disc from Uni/DreamWorks Records. $17.97. The Prince of Egypt: Inspirational. Compact Disc from Uni/DreamWorks Records. $16.97. The Prince of Egypt: Nashville. Compact Disc from Uni/DreamWorks Records. $16.97. The movie Prince of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Contraception Debate Louis Dupré has suggested that the hallmark of modernity is the belief that things which can be distinguished logically can exist separately. Several of the contributors to the symposium on contraception suffer from the same weak philosophy of being that gave rise to that . . . . Continue Reading »

Copyright (c) 1999 First Things 91 (March 1999): 9, 26, 32. Bedtime and Weekly Our toddler slices the air with a bandaged finger, her makeshift cross more complete by her young, scratched skin, a reminder of all our “boo“boo’s” piling up in the flesh till we cry out our . . . . Continue Reading »

The Future of Islam and the West: Clash of Civilizations or Peaceful Coexistence? By Shireen T. Hunter. Center for Strategic and International Studies,197 pages, $55 cloth, $17.95 paper.The subject of Islam’s relations to the rest of the world, in particular to the West, continues to fascinate as . . . . Continue Reading »

Wrestling with Original Sin Edward T. Oakes does an admirable job of addressing the three objections to the doctrine of original sin in “Original Sin: A Disputation” (November 1998). Moreover, Father Oakes’ description of the consequences of dismissing original sin in favor of a . . . . Continue Reading »

What Went Wrong with Vatican II: The Catholic Crisis Explained. by Ralph M. McInerny. Sophia Institute Press, 168 pages, $14.95.Don’t be misled by the rather alarming title: Ralph McInerny’s new book is not another chronicle of the Council’s supposed blunders, nor another recounting of the . . . . Continue Reading »

Virgin Power I wish to express my profound joy at having read Sarah E. Hinlicky’s article “Subversive Virginity” (October 1998). Not only is it sparklingly written and lucidly argued, but its mere presence in print is a rare statement of moral support for those of us who had begun . . . . Continue Reading »

Staring into Chaos: Explorations in the Decline of Western Civilizationby b. g. branderspence, 418 pages, $29.95 This fin-de-siècle has seen much less talk about “decline” and “degeneration” than the last time around, probably because the idea of “organic” cultural decline is . . . . Continue Reading »