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Divine Office, Dominican Chant

From First Thoughts

After many years of comparing manuscripts, compiling chants, and refining translations, the treasures of the Dominican chant tradition have at last been compiled into an impressive new hymnal for the Divine Office, the traditional prayer of chanted psalms, which sanctifies the hours of the day. For . . . . Continue Reading »

Ender’s Game, Card’s Convictions

From First Thoughts

You may have missed the news amid the turmoil in the Middle East, but last week Salt Lake City hosted its first ever Comic Con sci-fi and comic book convention. Perhaps it was the energy generated at Comic-Con San Diego last month, or perhaps it was a particular resonance with the city’s . . . . Continue Reading »

Do Fine Things

From First Thoughts

In  today’s column , Luke Foster reflects on President Obama, the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois, and Christian hop-hop. Healing racial wounds in America must go beyond government policy and economic reform and address family norms in our nation’s most marginalized communities. Yet, from . . . . Continue Reading »

Non-conformity: Not an Option

From First Thoughts

The young doctor stood in the packed auditorium, microphone in hand, glancing from downcast face to downcast face. Amidst that awkward disquiet, his honest, good-intentioned query suffocated in a hundred medical minds, asphyxiating under a pillow of political correctness. The young doctor, son of a . . . . Continue Reading »

Benedict, Dominic, and Bobby Hogg

From First Thoughts

In October of last year, Bobby Hogg died. He was an aged Scotsman, a native of a remote fishing town. When he died, the ancient Black Isle dialect of Cromarty died with him. It was an obscure dialect, always a bit precarious, teetering at the edge of the Highlands. Buffeted by the winds of . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links — 7.12.13

From First Thoughts

Faith Lights Life George Weigel, National Review Deadlines Meghan O’Rourke, New York Times The Rise of the Machines Meredith Hindley, Humanities Without Words to Describe Helen Alvaré, Public Discourse Localism, Globalization, and Moral Progress Dylan Pahman, Ethika Politika . . . . Continue Reading »

Something of the Rights of God

From First Thoughts

“The world has heard enough of the so-called ‘rights of man.’ Let it hear something of the rights of God.” A powerful proposition—startling, perhaps even dangerous. When Pope Leo XIII uttered  these words  at the turn of the twentieth century, he issued a . . . . Continue Reading »