Several years ago, James Mumford brought to my attention a passage from an essay by George Orwell. I was struck by it then and am struck by it still. The essay is titled simply, “A Hanging.” Orwell had served in a British police force in Burma at a time when Britain was still a colonial power. . . . . Continue Reading »
In 1979, a player for the Baltimore Orioles named Pat Kelly hit a home run and raised a finger in the air. A reporter later asked whether Kelly had meant to taunt the opposing fans. “I was pointing to my savior in the sky,” Kelly replied. “I was giving thanks to God almighty.” This gesture . . . . Continue Reading »
Should you believe in God? For many people, belief is a matter of faith. But let’s say you didn’t grow up with a religion, or you fell away from religion, and now are wondering whether that was the right choice. Is there a way to approach the question with reasoned analysis, as you would any . . . . Continue Reading »
A woman, sitting behind the wheel of her car, is hollering. She’s alternating between “why, why, why,” and “no, no, no,” all at the top of her lungs while slamming her fist against the steering wheel. Another is staring defiantly at the camera, like a TikTok Joan of Arc, while a . . . . Continue Reading »
From Moses to Moses, there arose none like Moses. This aphorism, popular in rabbinic literature from the Middle Ages until today, draws a comparison between the biblical legislator and his worthiest medieval successor. It is almost impossible to overstate the prominence, the influence, the . . . . Continue Reading »
A man who disbelieved the Christian story as fact but continually fed on it as myth would, perhaps, be more spiritually alive than one who assented and did not think much about it.” So claimed C. S. Lewis in his 1944 essay “Myth Became Fact.” Lewis insisted that myth lies at the heart of . . . . Continue Reading »
The translation of Biblical texts requires both philological competence and interpretive skill. Hard passages of scripture put these traits to the test. Consider the oft scrutinized words of Matthew 19:9. The New American Bible (1970, revised 1986) has: I say to you, whoever divorces his wife . . . . Continue Reading »
In May 1988, just under four years before his death, France’s greatest living composer made his only visit to Australia. Olivier Messiaen was 79 years old, and his journey, officially, was part of Australia’s bicentennial celebrations. But his real preoccupation—as always when he . . . . Continue Reading »
The room was overflowing, the applause thunderous. Novelist, activist, and essayist Paul Kingsnorth delivered a galvanizing Erasmus Lecture in late October. It was one of the most bracing and exciting in our long series of Erasmus Lectures. I’m delighted to publish “Against Christian . . . . Continue Reading »
Colorado, where I live, is a great place to go stargazing. Up in the mountains, the heavens are particularly vibrant and clear. I go out at night when I can, and, like millions of others today and certainly before me, look up and marvel. What do we see? We see truth, of a sort, for the Psalmist . . . . Continue Reading »
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