Joe Carter

1. A Scientific Analysis of the 5-Second Rule* On surfaces that had been contaminated eight hours earlier, slices of bologna and bread left for five seconds took up from 150 to 8,000 bacteria. Left for a full minute, slices collected about 10 times more than that from the tile and carpet, though a . . . . Continue Reading »

Earlier today I noted how some pro-choice advocates are horrified at the logic of the abortion absolutists . But most of those advocates are merely following the logic of “choice.” If you really want to see where the depths of such thinking can lead, you have to turn to atheist . . . . Continue Reading »

William Saletan appears to be a bit dismayed to find that some abortion rights advocates follow the “pro-choice” position to its logical conclusion : Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, goes further. “Is there anything qualitatively different . . . . Continue Reading »

MTV has a controversial new series about a group of hard-partying, drug-taking, sexually active teenagers. But it turns out the network may be breaking the law by showing  depictions of teens having sex : Child pornography is defined by the United States as any visual depiction of a minor . . . . Continue Reading »

Can the U.S. Constitution be amended to change the way it amends itself ? Article V of the U.S. Constitution requires that an amendment be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Could they change this requirement to 90 percent? Or declare that the president can amend the constitution at his whim? . . . . Continue Reading »

First Things invites you to attend a reading and book signing by R.R. Reno, who will read from his from his latest collection of essays: Fighting the Noonday Devil Date and Time: Thursday February 10th, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Location: First Things Editorial Offices 35 East 21st Street, Sixth Floor . . . . Continue Reading »

Andrew Gelman, a professor of statistics and political science, recommending Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic, and Amos Tversky: I like to say that this is the best-edited book that I’ve ever seen, at least since the New Testament. How could you . . . . Continue Reading »

Today is the 448th birthday of the Heidelberg Catechism. Theologian (and Evangel blogger) Fred Sanders explains why you should care : The first edition of the  Heidelberg Catechism was published on January 19, 1563. If you know this little book well, then this reminder is enough to make you . . . . Continue Reading »

Conservatives are right about gay mariage, admits sociologist Peter Berger: there really is a slippery-slope to polyamory . Anyone with knowledge of American religion will not be surprised that polyamory has become an issue in the Unitarian Universalist Church, ever in the forefront of progressive . . . . Continue Reading »

Near the top of the list of hoary writer’s formats, just below the open letters and pseudo-Swiftian “modest proposals”, sits the “Letter to a Young ________” format. The template is flexible enough that it can be used to condescend to any group that is more unseasoned than the author. There are letters to young poets and young priests, letters to young Catholics and young Calvinists, and letters to young mothers and young brothers… . Continue Reading »