Global warming has apparently stalled, and the usual media suspects are getting restless. First, there was the heresy from the BBC, and now a major German news magazine is showing some sign of coming out the reverie. From the story in Der Spiegel:Climatologists use their computer models to draw . . . . Continue Reading »
Nearly 25 years ago I made a discovery that would change my life profoundly, especially as it relates to the worship of God. While visiting Prague in 1976 I had purchased a copy of a Czech hymnal published in 1900 that contains the 150 Psalms in metre and some 350 hymns. But it was not until the . . . . Continue Reading »
Theres hardly a more disquieting and grotesque topic than pedophilia, but, as Mary Eberstadt reveals in her essay on pedophilia chic , it has not always been given the condemnation it deserves, evenas it werein America. Present unanimous disapproval comes from the . . . . Continue Reading »
[Note: Every Friday on First Thoughts we host heated, half-serious, half-cocked arguments about some aspect of pop culture. Todays theme is spiritually significant films. Have a suggestion for a topic? Send them to me at jcarter@firstthings.com ] Im a sucker for movies, lists, and . . . . Continue Reading »
Here are a few more of the photos I took during my recent sojourn to the British Isle.A view from Edinburgh Castle over the city to the extinct volcano just outside of town:I was taken with the color coordination between the (rare) blue sky of Edinburgh and the gray statue on top of an Edinburgh . . . . Continue Reading »
Gospel deficiency is the major crisis of the evangelical church. The good news has been replaced by many things, most often a therapeutic, self-help approach to biblical application. The result is a Church that, ironically enough, preaches works, not grace, and a growing number of Christians who . . . . Continue Reading »
If you come to Columbus, OH, in the near future, I would enjoy interviewing you. Perhaps coffee or tea @ the local Panera?There is something about blogging, something lacking. We’re out here, just writing, alone and with little reward. Many of us are neither reporters nor any . . . . Continue Reading »
Ross is back — as a blogger, that is, after a well-deserved six-month hiatus. Riffing off of Peter’s lament that “our political debates will become indistinguishable from our health care debates,” becoming “permanently intertwined, going on and on, forever and ever, . . . . Continue Reading »
A Palestrina mass was sung t St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome this evening, reflecting Pope Benedict XVI’s longstanding efforts to bring polyphony back into the liturgy, reports Sandro Magister in his authoritative chiesa.com website. Benedict has profound insights into sacred music and its . . . . Continue Reading »
I don’t remember a more vivid case of tricky legislating than the attempt to shove Obamacare down the collective throat. And here’s the latest example. The Senate version of Obamacare is actually an unrelated House Bill that has already passed the Lower Chamber. From the . . . . Continue Reading »