In my tenure as a junior fellow here at First Things , I’ve done a few things that have made my editors and co-workers scratch their heads. But my biggest argument, at present, is with our editor Joseph Bottum, who suggested last week that Duke University is a "cruise ship for pampered . . . . Continue Reading »
I wrote in this space last week about how Bishop Stanislaw Wielgus, on the eve of his installation as metropolitan-archbishop of Warsaw, admitted that he had collaborated with the security services of the former communist government of Poland and then resigned. I was harshly critical of the Holy . . . . Continue Reading »
As an American, far away, with a deep love for Poland, my deepest sorrow is felt for all the citizens of Poland, for the Polish church, and even for the now-resigned archbishop and his family.There were so many heroic acts by so many people in Poland and its neighboring countries during the Soviet . . . . Continue Reading »
Diverse ways of thinking about Martin Luther King Jr. and the ways in which his day is observed are discussed by Andrew Busch , professor of government at Claremont McKenna, over on National Review Online . Prof. Busch makes a sharp distinction between the "early" King and the . . . . Continue Reading »
College is time for learning things, and there have been several lessons taught by the accusations of rape made against the Duke University lacrosse players. The first is not to go to Duke.The school that likes to pride itself as the premier university of the South has, in fact, proved itself . . . . Continue Reading »
If you’re a young writer or thinker¯finishing your undergraduate degree or graduate program, or heading into the professional world¯then the First Things junior fellowship is for you. You’ll participate in all of the activities of the journal: from article submission and . . . . Continue Reading »
In this space a couple of weeks ago, Anthony Sacramone rightly scored Alfonso Cuarón’s film version of P.D. James’ novel Children of Men . What James meant as a Christian parable was turned by the filmmakers into a screed against President Bush’s war on terrorism.I too had a . . . . Continue Reading »
A Week in the Life of a First Things Junior Fellow (Somewhat Condensed and Idiosyncratic) Saturday, 7 pm: Night prayer, drinks, and dinner with Richard John NeuhausSunday, 1 pm: Lunch after Mass at sushi restaurant on Park AvenueMonday, 2 pm: First Things editorial meeting; 8 pm: $15 tickets for . . . . Continue Reading »
Not so long ago, Weekend America aired a story on National Public Radio about a fairly new community known as the Church of Brunch . Flannery O’Connor would have appreciated it. In typical NPR fashion, the piece immediately drew me in, as the narrator began telling the story of a congregation . . . . Continue Reading »
Back in December, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Stanislaw Wielgus to be the metropolitan-archbishop of Warsaw. News reports soon appeared that, from the 1960s through the early 1990s, Wielgus had collaborated with the communist secret police in Poland. Wielgus denied the allegations, and the . . . . Continue Reading »