Well, McCain has chosen, and our editor won’t be the only one relieved to see that the nod has gone to the staunchly pro-life Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin . A former beauty-queen with a passion for grueling outdoor sports and an unembarrassed attachment to family and religion, Mrs. Palin . . . . Continue Reading »
It seems to me that the Catholic bishops are missing a golden teaching opportunity. Bishops are rightly concerned that for them to publicly warn or chastise politicians because of their voting records on abortion will be misunderstood as politically motivated. All sorts of issues get dragged into . . . . Continue Reading »
Yesterday at the FT office, this Robert Frost poem came up in conversation. Technically masterful, with a regular but unusual metrical pattern, it is unrhymed and verbally simple yet laced together with a wistful lyricism that echoes between image and line. Joseph Bottum reads it as an uncommon . . . . Continue Reading »
At the New Liturgical Movement, Jeffrey Tucker argues that Summorum Pontificum is indicative of the new spirit of reform creeping into the Church, one in marked contrast to what came before: Everyone knows the more obvious specifics. Vatican II said Gregorian chant should assume primary place but . . . . Continue Reading »
In the wake of Senator Obama’s acceptance speech last night, readers of First Things will enjoy David Brooks’ delightful satire . A sample: My fellow Americans, it is an honor to address the Democratic National Convention at this defining moment in history. We stand at a crossroads at a . . . . Continue Reading »
This is not a political endorsement: But it is a celebration of the culmination and success of an earlier fight on behalf of human exceptionalism—Abolitionism and racial equality.Abraham Lincoln who grew into abolitionism during his presidency, is smiling tonight as the first African-American . . . . Continue Reading »
Yesterday was the Feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. This feast was the occasion on which the the Venerable (soon to be Blessed) John Henry Cardinal Newman preached a characteristically brilliant sermon called “Intellect, the Instrument of Religious Training.” The whole thing is . . . . Continue Reading »
The animal rights movement’s strongest claim promoting vegetarianism is ethical, as in “If it has a face, don’t eat it.” But that isn’t good enough. Too often they go into odious comparisons between the worst human evils and barbecuing a steak (PETA’s infamous . . . . Continue Reading »
When not editing an illustrious magazine, defining agenbites , or unraveling true-crime plots (cf. forthcoming FT), Joseph Bottum has been taking me through the history of the English novel. Pilgrim’s Progress (1676), Robinson Crusoe (1719), Moll Flanders (1722), Gulliver’s Travels . . . . Continue Reading »
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