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Bret Stephens Assails Celibacy

From Web Exclusives

The unexpected resignation of Benedict XVI from the papacy and the subsequent conclave and election of his successor produced a blizzard of public commentary on the state of the Catholic Church, and in particular calls to abandon celibacy as a required discipline for priests, notably in Bret Stephens’ Wall Street Journal column “A Church, If You Can Keep It.” … Continue Reading »

Faith-Based Voting

From the February 2012 Print Edition

I think Mitt Romney’s a good, moral man,” Southern Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress told CNN at last October’s Values Voters Summit, “but I think those of us who are born again followers of Christ should always prefer a competent Christian to a competent non-Christian like Mitt . . . . Continue Reading »

In Defense of Ambition: Esolen’s Curious Overstatement

From Web Exclusives

Is ambition evil? In an October 2011 essay in First Things that offers an otherwise insightful and provocative critique of Stephen Greenblatt’s theologically tone-deaf interpretations of Shakespeare, Anthony Esolen appears to say as much. This is an important mistake. Esolen rightly calls out Greenblatt’s ignorance of”or insensitivity to”the great moral tradition of Western civilization… . Continue Reading »

Treating Democracy

From the November 2011 Print Edition

The Responsibility of Reason: Theory and Practice in a Liberal-Democratic Age by Ralph C. Hancock Rowman and Littlefield, 346 pages, $90 Modern societies lack confidence in the moral competence of reason. Americans agree, for example, in deploring a sexually exploitative culture that corrupts the . . . . Continue Reading »

Tiger Woods and Plato

From Web Exclusives

Two weeks ago, the Tiger Woods scandal was returned to the news by reports that Woods was receiving treatment for sex addiction. While many may have welcomed this sordid story’s earlier disappearance, it in fact deserves serious consideration because of what it says about our culture and, in fact, about our very humanity… . . Continue Reading »

Roman Polanski, Hollywood, and the Mystery of the Missing Outrage

From Web Exclusives

The arrest in Switzerland of Roman Polanski, and his possible extradition to the United States to stand trial for the rape of a minor, has stirred a surprising public controversy. While many commentators have expressed satisfaction that he might be called to account for his crime, others, especially those in Hollywood, have come to Polanski’s defense. The controversy itself is not so surprising as the character of the defense… . Continue Reading »