R. R. Reno

A friend and I have been corresponding, covering lots of different topics, but lately focusing on the Reformation. A question came up. Did the Reformation need to happen? I don’t like that question (and I told my friend so), because “necessary” and “unnecessary” tend to distort our view . . . . Continue Reading »

I think of myself as a fairly jaundiced academic, unlikely to be taken aback by shrill, politically correct rhetoric. But I guess I’m wrong, because the crude pronouncements of Robert Orsi, holder of the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University, shocked me. . . . . Continue Reading »

Why art? Countless millions cry out for food to relieve their hunger. Many are caught up in wars, praying for some semblance of peace. There are diseases to cure. Environmental disasters to prevent. International institutions to build. Why, indeed, art? … Continue Reading »

A History of Catholic Moral Theology in the Twentieth Century: From Confessing Sins to Liberating Consciences By James F. Keenan, S.J. Continuum, 248 pages, $29.95 The Second Vatican Council created an atmosphere of change that many imagined would sweep away traditional approaches and attitudes, . . . . Continue Reading »

Recently I’ve been musing metaphysically, and today’s article by Stephen J. Heaney on Public Discourse (” Just the Facts, M’am “) struck a chord. Heaney picks up a story about a female college basketball player who has announced that she wants to be thought of as a . . . . Continue Reading »

On the always interesting Public Discourse , James Capretta engages the question of how a pro-life person should think about the ongoing debates about healthcare. The question was raised by Richard Stith in a web article for First Things , who made the arresting observation that a nationalized . . . . Continue Reading »

Some friends have been challenging my reasoning. (I know, I know, it’s hard to imagine anyone challenging my reasoning, but who can account for the recklessness of one’s friends?) On Thursday I wrote about Fr. Raymond Schroth’s proposed one-state solution to the Israel/Palestinian . . . . Continue Reading »

In a recent short essay in America, the once influential magazine put out by the Society of Jesus. Fr. Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., offers what he thinks is a lasting answer to the conflict between Jews and Palestinians over the future of the Holy Land. Unfortunately, as he faces this thorny issue, which calls for the delicate exercise of theological reflection and prudential judgment, he offers easy Leftist slogans rather than serious analysis… . Continue Reading »

I recently argued against the idea that tolerance was, in itself, a sign of good citizenship . We need to recognize that we should tolerate what should be tolerated, but not what shouldn’t. Well, that’s a pretty open-ended formulation, and it’s helpful to make some . . . . Continue Reading »

A new book on religion came out recently, America’s Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us . Written by Robert Putnam of Bowling Alone fame, along with David Campbell, the book is chocked full of data and charts, along with the Aunt Sue and Uncle John anecdotes that many put into popular . . . . Continue Reading »