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The Tournament of Novels – Final Round

Four contenders went into Round 5 , only two came out unscathed. Not surprisingly, the final two standing are The Lord of the Rings and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . But like the Highlander, there can be only one. So who will win the tournament? Your vote will decide the final outcome, so . . . . Continue Reading »

Lenten Sonnet

Deny my Lord? I could not but disdain The thought that I might so esteem life’s breath As timidly to flee from threat of death And thus avoid the Saviour’s Lenten pain. No, never would I shout that same refrain Of “I know not the man!” nor would I bend In fear, but follow even to the end, . . . . Continue Reading »

The Pope (and the Huns) Wore Prada

One of the highlights of the current season at New York’s Metropolitan Opera was the house’s first-ever production of Giuseppe Verdi’s rarely performed Attila . The cast featured Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov as the Hun of the title and included veteran American bass Samuel Ramey in . . . . Continue Reading »

a minor in philosophy

For John Locke, the world was to be understood through the senses, and only through the senses.  He believed in natural law and natural right.  He believed that people are a blank slate at birth.For John Locke, the world is what he makes it.  He apparently controls the lives of people . . . . Continue Reading »

Teen Suicide

The talk-show story of the year: Nine arrests after a teen’s suicide . This strikes me as a dangerous precedent. The psychology of a suicide often includes a feeling of “I’ll make them all pay.” The thought that you could have your persecutors arrested by killing . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

Matthew Levering reviews Hans Boersma’s  Nouvelle Théologie and Sacramental Ontology : Boersma’s book is much more than a survey of key aspects of the ressourcement approach, although it is that. Nouvelle Théologie and Sacramental Ontology opens up a new way of . . . . Continue Reading »

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