Today “On the Square” offers a double feature: Lee J. Strang’s explanation of what the First Amendment really said about freedom of religion, Church, State, and Original Intent , and George Weigel’s analysis of the famous Lutheran historian’s misunderstanding of . . . . Continue Reading »
OK, surely this is a man bites dog story. A new study shows that if a close friend gets divorced, then you’re more likely to get divorced . Gee, who would have imagined that we’re influence by other people’s behavior. We’re, er, social animals? Long ago Aristotle recognized that . . . . Continue Reading »
Tablet Magazine today publishes my essay on Israel’s improbable pre-eminence in classical music. There is something special—if you pardon the expression, inspired—about the way Israel’s musicians perform (and recreate) the great classical repertoire of the West. The essay . . . . Continue Reading »
Congratulations to Ashley Samelson, whose On the Square piece “ Why ‘Freedom of Worship’ Is Not Enough ,” reporting on the Obama administration’s change of rhetoric from “freedom of religion,” got the attention of Catholic Online and then the Drudge . . . . Continue Reading »
I don’t understand why people don’t connect the dots when it comes to suicide. On one hand, officials wring their hands—appropriately—over suicide rates. But at the same time, legislators and activists promote suicide/euthanasia for the sick. That’s a . . . . Continue Reading »
Politics evoke passions, and cultural politics passionate passions. That shouldn’t surprise us. After all, unlike tax policy, questions about abortion, marriage, raising children, the role of religion in public life, and so forth touch on our deepest beliefs. Which makes this story of boorish . . . . Continue Reading »
Bureaucratic centralized control is the bane of good medicine. And yet, our fearless leaders keep wrapping the system in increasing bureaucratic chains, giving faceless planners ever more power, sapping the system of competency and efficiency.One bureaucratic agenda item is fighting . . . . Continue Reading »
Expert: UN study backs Church strategy on Aids A new UN Aids study has lent credibility to faith leaders who have long argued that behavioural change is key to combating the spread of the illness, a Catholic expert on the disease has said. Lesbian gets $35K settlement over canceled prom A rural . . . . Continue Reading »
My esteemed Redeemer University colleague, Robert Joustra, offers insight after his recent attendance at an event sponsored by the Center for Public Justice in Washington, DC. His thoughts are worth sharing here:I spent last week with the good people at Civitas, talking about graceful politics. . . . . Continue Reading »
When I taught humanities at a Christian secondary school, I spent the first week or so of the fall semester exploring how Christians should read because I anticipated that the pagan literature of the Greeks and Romans would chafe against my students’ delicate sensibilities and trigger . . . . Continue Reading »
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
