The Episcopal cathedral in Chicago is hosting a display of the " Keiskamma Altarpiece ." Made by artists in Hamburg, South Africa, the altarpiece is a monumental needlework, combining fabric, beads, wire work and photographs, and reproduces the form and dimensions of Matthias . . . . Continue Reading »
"Philosophy asks unanswerable questions; theology gives unquestionable answers." According to John Caputo, author of the astonishingly lucid book Philosophy and Theology , the anonymous wag who first coined that sardonic witticism can only have been born in the twentieth century. We know . . . . Continue Reading »
Georgetown University has rediscovered its Catholicism. The nation’s oldest Catholic school, the flagship of Jesuit education in America, has been a sad topic among American Catholics for some time now. Crucifixes removed from classrooms, a lay president, pro-abortion activity, a general . . . . Continue Reading »
There is a template that many books on science or science history follow when they touch upon the relations of science and religion: Bold Scientist Persecuted by the Church for Thinking New Thoughts. The Galileo case does to a large extent fit the template, but few if any other cases do. Darwin was . . . . Continue Reading »
In Sunday’s Times , Judith Shulevitz reviews Kristin Luker’s new book on the sex-ed wars, When Sex Goes to School , which argues . . . well, here’s how Shulevitz puts it: Only toward the end of a 300-odd page book about sex education in America does Kristin Luker permit herself a . . . . Continue Reading »
It’s hard to know what to make of the Food and Drug Administration’s sudden decision to let Plan B¯the “emergency contraceptive” pill¯be sold over the counter in pharmacies. Well, actually, it’s not hard to know what to make of it: It was a compromise struck . . . . Continue Reading »
There was a welcome report on Wednesday that Italy had stepped into the vacuum created by the balking French, offering to serve as the lead country in supplying troops to man the multinational Lebanese peacekeeping force. This act of Italian leadership (two words you don’t often see together) . . . . Continue Reading »
In a recent article in the Christian Century , Jason Byassee tells the stories of theologians who recently left their Protestant denominations and were received into the Catholic Church ( "Going Catholic: Six Journeys to Rome," August 22, 2006 ). Byassee does a fine and sympathetic job . . . . Continue Reading »
Recent reports of scientists creating "ethical" embryonic stem cells are false or misleading. And there is reason to be very concerned. Forbes described it as a "medical milestone" and a scientific "breakthrough" with a headline "Scientists Harvest Stem Cells . . . . Continue Reading »
A while back, I referred here to a lengthy article in the Dallas Observer about Ole Anderson and asked prayers for that apparently driven and unhappy Christian leader. I received a thoughtful message in response from Douglas Duncan, who was involved with Anderson’s organization for many long . . . . Continue Reading »