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A Non-Political Pope?

From First Thoughts

You can’t tell too much from one interview, of course, but the  interview Pope Francis gave an Italian Jesuit journal last month , and which was released last week, seems like a blockbuster. Everyone understands this. Progressive Catholics are elated. After long years in the wilderness, . . . . Continue Reading »

On Loving the City

From First Thoughts

A  post  yesterday by my St. John’s colleague Marc DeGirolami about Augustine’s two cities—the earthly and heavenly—reminded me of something I read in  Peter Brown’s recent book  on wealth in ancient Rome. Brown argues that a decisive shift in the . . . . Continue Reading »

The Abercrombie Look

From First Thoughts

[caption id=”” align=”alignnone” width=”466”] Staff at Abercrombie & Fitch Store, London (BBC) [/caption] Here’s an interesting case that reveals much about the way American mass marketers view religion and “diversity.” This week, a . . . . Continue Reading »

Christians, American and Syrian

From First Thoughts

President Obama’s astonishing decision to reverse course and seek congressional authorization for military action in Syria has given Americans an opportunity to think about the situation a bit more. One important consideration is the fate of Syria’s Christians. This group, which numbers . . . . Continue Reading »

Interview with Samuel Tadros

From First Thoughts

At the Center for Law and Religion Forum today, I interview the Hudson Institute’s Samuel Tadros about his new book,  Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity . In the interview, Tadros talks about the history of the Coptic Church, its important contributions to . . . . Continue Reading »