It was never about small government. That is the bitter lesson many conservatives have learned, as they have seen Republican-leaning voters opt for a candidate who promises mass deportations and protectionism. That’s the bad news. The good news is that, when conservatives were winning, they were . . . . Continue Reading »
Life, even Catholic life, is full of ambiguities, but some things either are or aren’t. It’s a ball or a strike. It’s a Toyota or a Ford. You’re baptized or you aren’t. The papacy would seem to be one of these you-are-or-you-aren’t realities. According to the law of the Church, a man . . . . Continue Reading »
As frustration mounts about the decline of Christian Europe, some have begun to point fingers. Among their latest targets is Pope Francis. Continue Reading »
Epistemology and ritual are rarely considered together. They are often opposed (“mindless ritual”), and ritual is more often associated with belief than with knowledge. At best, ritual is understood as an expression of knowledge that has been arrived at by other means. Dru Johnson doesn’t think these positions do justice to either ritual or epistemology. . . . Continue Reading »
“I believe they make a conscious choice to erase God's thumbprint from their souls.” Continue Reading »
The Holy See's puzzling passion for getting a deal done with Beijing. Continue Reading »
James Stoddard ought to be famous for his Christian-fantasy Evenmere trilogy. He isn’t, unfortunately. Continue Reading »
The Book of Acts opens with two events of great salvation-historical importance: the going up of Jesus from earth into heaven (the Ascension), and the coming down of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples (Pentecost). Both events are commemorated by Christians in this season of the year. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead inaugurated God’s new beginning, which the New Testament calls “the last days.” . . . . Continue Reading »
Words matter. The terminology we employ not only reflects our values but helps to define them. Language is particularly important in bioethical debates, in which dehumanizing verbiage can distance us from our fellow human beings.When embryonic stem-cell research was in the news, we were told . . . . Continue Reading »
Pope Francis’s recent Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia is, for the most part, a beautiful presentation of Catholic teaching on marriage and the family. But its eighth chapter strikes many readers as problematic. This chapter attempts to identify the patterns of reasoning by which a prudent . . . . Continue Reading »
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