Speaking in German, a Dutch cardinal told a tv audience “Wir haben es nicht gewusst” (we knew nothing) about the sexual abuse of children and young people by Dutch clergy, now (finally) coming to light. The allusion to the post-war German claim — the excuse — was obvious, and . . . . Continue Reading »
While our culture tends to eschew religious polemics, great disagreements have produced not only some of the most awe-inspiring moments in human history, but also some of the most beautiful lines of prose. So argues Carl Truman in the latest issue of Themelios : [P]olemic has produced some . . . . Continue Reading »
Theologian R.C. Sproul explains why there’s nothing nefarious about the X in Xmas : The simple answer to your question is that the X in Christmas is used like the R in R.C. My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me . . . . Continue Reading »
This is hilarious. For years we have been told by GWHs that President Bush was RISKING THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET! by rejecting Kyoto—the current global warming treaty that sets modest restrictions on carbon emissions. (Most signatory nations have not met those goals, but these deals . . . . Continue Reading »
Those interested in a forceful and substantive response to Robert Orsi’s denunciations of the depravities of the Catholics Church—insufficient solicitude for “reproductive choice,” for example—should click over to read what Notre Dame professor Daniel Philpot has to say . . . . Continue Reading »
This morning On the Square , R.R. Reno takes a closer look at Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times , Peter Sewald’s book-length interview with Pope Benedict XVI. Rather than focusing on the pope’s already much discussed comments on condoms, Reno examines . . . . Continue Reading »
Richard Mouw on a theology of cuteness : In his famous essay “A Plea for Excuses,” the Oxford philosopher J. L. Austin complained that philosophers of art typically spent too much time focusing on beauty, when most people’s aesthetic interests are less grand. Austin expressed the . . . . Continue Reading »
Stories like this are making the collective American pull our hair out. Doctor compensation under Medicare is going to be cut 20% unless the reduction is delayed. Of course, the pay cut must be prevented—both out of fairness to doctors and to keep them from refusing to take . . . . Continue Reading »
I was honored to have been interviewed by Eleanor Clift about the Schiavo case and hospice for her book, Two Weeks of Life. We met at my hotel in Washington DC and spent more than an hour discussing hospice and its many benefits to dying patients and their families. I talked about my . . . . Continue Reading »
The opposite of piety is not unbelief; it is sovereign desire. . . . . Continue Reading »
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