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R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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More on Bible Reading

From First Thoughts

Yesterday I argued for a hefty Bible at the lectern . Weighty truths, its seems to me, are fittingly stored in weighty tomes. That doesn’t mean that I’m opposed to pocket Bibles or bible verses that you can call up on your cell phone—or for that matter to any form of scripture. . . . . Continue Reading »

Reading the Bible

From First Thoughts

New York is digging out from a big snowstorm, which means a quiet day at the office, allowing me to catch up on some of my reading, including Verbum Domini , the Apostolic Exhortation concerning scripture and interpretation put out by Pope Benedict last fall. There’s lots of rich material . . . . Continue Reading »

The Incarnation

From Web Exclusives

It’s easy to step back and denounce the excesses of the Christmas season: the orgy of spending, too much food, too much drink, too many parties, and expensive ski vacations that bring aching credit card hangovers. Easy, but mistaken. Continue Reading »

Shame On Columbia University Press

From First Thoughts

Talk about cynical marketing! Columbia University Press has put out a slender book that represents itself as authored by Richard Rorty. The title suggests a topic of importance— Ethics for Today: Finding Common Ground Between Philosophy and Religion . But when you open the book (hopefully . . . . Continue Reading »

Liberalism and Irritable Mental Gestures

From First Thoughts

I’ve been rereading Lionel Trilling lately. I’ve long been a fan of his unique ability to write a meandering essay that nonetheless feels as though it has a singular focus. In any event, a recent editorial by Matt Franck in the Washington Post made me think of Trilling. Franck surveys . . . . Continue Reading »

American Empire

From Web Exclusives

“Empire” comes from the Latin imperium, derived from the verb imperare, which means to command. Thus an emperor, the man who governs by command rather than consensus or consultation. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the invasion of Iraq, America was in command, not absolutely and not everywhere … . Continue Reading »

Still More on Orsi

From First Thoughts

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 »

The Pontificate Of Continuity

From Web Exclusives

I’ve never met Benedict XVI, but I feel as though I have. Or at least I think I have a pretty good sense of how his mind works: clear, to the point, and earthy. OK, maybe not D. H. Lawrence earthy, but for a German university professor very direct, concrete, and capable of a memorable turn of phrase. Continue Reading »

More on Robert Orsi’s Anti-Catholicism

From First Thoughts

Last week I drew attention to the way in which Robert Orsi, the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University, slammed the Catholic Church in an online tirade . I’m someone who respects (and respectfully disagrees) with a great deal of loyal Catholic dissent. Yes, . . . . Continue Reading »