Standing before all of Hollywood at last night’s Academy Awards, confronted by an inquisitorial teddy bear, Mark Wahlberg refused to deny his Lord and savior:
Ted: “You’ve got a ‘berg’ on the end of your name. Are you Jewish?”
Mark Wahlberg: “No, I’m Catholic.”
Ted: “Wrong answer. Try again.”
Give that man a Laetare Medal! (Though the Times of Israel , which deemed the segment vaguely anti-semitic, might object.)
The Boogie Nights star also has drawn criticism in the past due to reports (which he contests) that he turned down a role in Brokeback Mountain on advice of his priest.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
