Matthew Schmitz

Today on Twitter Books & Culture editor John Wilson announced that the magazine faces a $110,000 shortfall it must raise in the next three days—-or shut down at year’s end. [ View the story “Books & Culture Calls for Support, May Shut Down” on Storify ] Books & . . . . Continue Reading »

Joseph Bottum has  walked back  the most controversial assertions of his barnburner Commonweal  essay on gay marriage. For this, I’m glad: Several of them were unsupportable. Yet the essay was never about any point of fact so much as it was about a certain mood: one of surprise . . . . Continue Reading »

Carly Fiorina is making headlines for her claim on ABC that, “There are only four countries in the world that have, that legalize abortion after five months: China, North Korea, Canada and the U.S.” This isn’t quite right. In fact, there are nine nations that permit abortion after . . . . Continue Reading »

Christopher Mahoney, former vice chairman of Moody’s, set back ecumenism by several years this week when he charged Protestants with being incapable of understanding monetary policy . His argument, or at least his assertion, was that Protestants refuse to countenance loose money policies even . . . . Continue Reading »

The Presbyterian Church USA’s claims the word “satisfied” not the word “wrath” was the real reason for excluding “In Christ Alone” from its hymnal. Continue Reading »

An apparently earnest man wants to hold Israel and Italy responsible for the death of Christ : A Kenyan lawyer has filed a petition with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, suggesting that the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ was unlawful, and the State of Israel among others . . . . Continue Reading »

The eminent, often iconoclastic, sociologist Robert Bellah passed away in recent days at the age of eighty six. The cause of death was apparently complication from a minor surgery. While Bellah was not a young man, when I saw him last December he was physically sturdy and mentally vigorous. . . . . Continue Reading »

“Judge not, that ye be not judged,” Christ said two millenia ago. Pope Francis’ recent restatement of this—-“A gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will—-well, who am I to judge him?”—-will surprise only those who have accepted the ugliest . . . . Continue Reading »

Are pro-lifers wrong to speak of the “unborn child”? A reader annoyed with Ramesh Ponnuru’s use of the phrase wrote him, saying, “There is no child until birth. Late in pregnancy the fetus may have some moral status but it is still not a child.” Ramesh replied: “Merriam-Webster’s . . . . Continue Reading »

  Same-sex marriage will be a nightmare for the basic liberties and public privileges of religious groups. And not just for Christians : Sikh temples have been advised to halt all civil marriage ceremonies on their premises to protect them from possible legal challenges for refusing to conduct . . . . Continue Reading »