Matthew Schmitz

Andrew Cuomo’s abortion bill may lead to forced abortions, warns New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan in a June 4 press release issued jointly with the bishops of New York state: We are profoundly distressed by the introduction of a bill in New York State today that would ease restrictions . . . . Continue Reading »

Even as Chris Christie announced that he would fill Frank Lautenberg’s senate seat with an August 13 special election , conservatives banded together under the hashtag #appointRPG to call for the interim appointment of one of their most articulate leaders: Princeton professor Robert P. . . . . Continue Reading »

A new app called “Texas Bible” replaces “you” with “y’all” in English bible translations wherever the original language used a second-person plural. John Dyer, its creator, explains : Just about any time I teach from the Scriptures I have to point out . . . . Continue Reading »

Today the British House of Lords began debate on a bill that would create a right to gay marriage. Speaking before the body, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby panned it : The result is confusion. Marriage is abolished, redefined and recreated – being different and unequal for different . . . . Continue Reading »

In a baccalaureate address at Princeton University, Ben Bernanke reminded his high-achieving audience that the meritocracy is not synonymous with justice : The concept of success leads me to consider so-called meritocracies and their implications. We have been taught that meritocratic institutions . . . . Continue Reading »

Timothy George, the distinguished theologian and leader of Evangelical-Catholic dialogue, is the newest fortnightly web columnist for First Things . His first piece , which contrasts the spiritual outlooks of Pope Francis and Katharine Jefferts Schori, calls on Christians to take seriously . . . . Continue Reading »

The universe is “built in a way that to me suggests intelligent design,” says Stephen King in an interview with NPR : If you say, “Well, OK, I don’t believe in God. There’s no evidence of God,” then you’re missing the stars in the sky and you’re . . . . Continue Reading »

The woman who confronted two men who beheaded a British soldier in London this week credits her Catholic faith with giving her courage : A mother of two who calmly confronted the Woolwich attackers on Wednesday has attributed her courage to her Catholic faith. Ingrid Loyau-Kennet, a practising . . . . Continue Reading »

Trevin Wax subscribes to complementarianism—-the belief that men and women have distinct but complementary roles in society and church—-but thinks its culture prone to certain excesses : a reticence or hesitance to affirm and celebrate women’s contributions in local church . . . . Continue Reading »

The chief prosecutor in Peter Leithart’s recently concluded heresy trial stunned many by converting to Roman Catholicism shortly after bringing his prosecution. Now some are citing his conversion as reason to  declare a mistrial : Three Presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in America . . . . Continue Reading »