Religion

Advent with St. John of the Cross

Though he is now celebrated as a major reformer, mystical poet, and Doctor of the Church, what John had to endure to reach those heights is almost unimaginable. Continue Reading »

Axe of Advent

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Advent isn’t supposed to soothe us. Continue Reading »

What Makes a Great Parish?

In Great Catholic Parishes, William E. Simon, Jr. has undertaken to set forth what makes for dynamic parishes. Continue Reading »

Junior Varsity Angel Wrestling Team

The film is in large part about the failures and sins of American church culture—but you can also tell that Cone is honoring the place and community that shaped him. Continue Reading »

How to Mark the Death of a Devil?

Perhaps now, with the death of a sinner, the country may turn from his evil ways—and find life instead. Continue Reading »

Wanting to Love the Pope

Catholics love the pope, want to love the pope, and Francis deserves their love and fidelity.

But to the degree Catholics also really know their faith, love the Church, and seek to live her teachings, many are also increasingly uneasy. Continue Reading »

On our Need for the Real Thomas More

A Man for All Seasons is a magnificent religious film—perhaps the best ever—despite its author’s stated intentions. Continue Reading »

Calvinist Environmentalism?

With Inherit the Holy Mountain: Religion and the Rise of American Environmentalism, Mark Stoll chronicles how conservationism and its green progeny arose from Calvinism. “When Emerson advised the solitary individual to seek mystical union with the Divine in the woods,” writes Stoll, “he simply restated long-standing Calvinist advice.” Continue Reading »

Is the Religious Right Dead or Alive?

Before November 8, numerous voices suggested that the Religious Right was in its death throes and that no intervention could resuscitate it. Then Donald Trump got elected. Continue Reading »

The Ecumenical Gospel

Is the gospel identical with the Protestant doctrine of salvation? Or is the gospel a message about God's Son that Protestants and Catholics affirm together? Continue Reading »