It is often assumed that G. K. Chesterton and J. R .R. Tolkien were reactionary, antimodern writers. In a certain sense they were. Tolkien regarded nearly everything worthy of praise in English culture to have ended in 1066. He scorned the imposition of Norman culture on a vibrant English tradition . . . . Continue Reading »
Remember the culture wars? In light of September 11 and the continuing War on Terror, it seems hard to believe that there was a time when Jesse Jackson chanting with Stanford undergraduates seemed like a real threat. The fight still rages on in some quarters, however, generating, as it did two . . . . Continue Reading »
The news this next year will be dominated by the presidential race. That is near to inevitable. In that race, there are few things as consequential as the location of authority, and, in particular, the authority of the courts.Way back in 1956, Hannah Arendt wrote an essay titled What Is . . . . Continue Reading »
Now that the New York Philharmonic has accepted the North Korean governments invitation to perform in Pyongyang , the question most worth asking is: Can music stop a man from killing people? The German filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has said that writing his much-acclaimed film The . . . . Continue Reading »
According to a news story from Reuters , a recent Tufts University study (available here ) says that if nothing is done to combat global warming, then, by the year 2100, two of Floridas nuclear power plants, three of its prisons and 1,362 hotels, motels and inns will be under . . . . Continue Reading »
It is not a matter of revving ourselves up to experience again the wonder of the Christ Mass. There is no point in trying to recapitulate Christmas as you knew it when you were, say, seven years old. That way lies sentimentalities unbounded.The alternative is the way of contemplation, of demanding . . . . Continue Reading »
Standing before the icon of Christ in the front of St. John Orthodox Church, I prepare to offer my confession at the Sacrament of Forgiveness. The Holy image of the One Who Forgives comes forth to meet me, as the father comes forth to welcome home the prodigal son in the familiar gospel passage . . . . Continue Reading »
My lucubrations for today’s webposting would like to argue just this one single point: Doctrinal clarity is lost when Catholics call Protestant heretics. To be sure, that habit of unthinkingly hurling accusations of heresy at Protestants pretty much died out after the Second Vatican Council, . . . . Continue Reading »
Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe are receiving the plaudits of critics for their bravura performances as Frank Lucas, glamorous Harlem gangster, and Richie Roberts, incorruptible New Jersey detective in the recently released American Gangster . Gangster is a hard movie to watch. Filled with . . . . Continue Reading »
The Canadian Broadcasting Company aired this past Sunday a profile of our editor in chief, which, I must say, is quite balanced, even appreciative. Who’d of thunk it? Click here for the CBC’s website, and you should be able to access a video of the mini-documentary. (You may have to . . . . Continue Reading »