Joe Carter

1. Jingle Bells was the first song played in space Just before Stafford and Schirra were scheduled to reenter Earth’s atmosphere December 16, the pair reported they had sighted some sort of UFO. Schirra recounted the moment when Stafford contacted Mission Control in Schirra’s Space, a . . . . Continue Reading »

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Ireland’s laws banning abortion breach European human rights law because they do not make exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger : In a landmark and binding case that could have implications for other European countries, the court . . . . Continue Reading »

David French has a proposal for Christian parents : I’ve got a deal for you. It’s simple: If you sign up for my program, there’s a roughly 80 percent chance that the man’s happiness will increase substantially. And women, there’s about a 50 percent chance you’ll . . . . Continue Reading »

The look on Pope Benedict’s face is priceless. According to ABC News in Los Angeles : There was a surprising performance at the Vatican on Wednesday, where a group of male acrobats tore off their shirts in front of the Pope. The four Pellegrini Brothers appeared on stage in white suits, but . . . . Continue Reading »

A new report shows that after years of decline, use of marijuana by teens is on the rise : More American high school seniors are smoking marijuana daily now than at any time since the early 1980s, and they’re actually smoking more pot than cigarettes, according to a survey released Tuesday. . . . . Continue Reading »

Of course he does: It doesn’t really surprise me that Carter, a former President/former Southern Baptist, thinks America is ready for an openly gay president. In fact, I fear that he’s probably right. A significant number of Americans have exchanged both the Bible and two millennia of . . . . Continue Reading »

Eve Tushnet explains why Mormon parents do a better job than most of keeping their children from the “mutant creed best understood as ‘Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.’” Parents who show, by their words or their actions, that the tenets and practices of their faith are vague, . . . . Continue Reading »

Mark Oppenheimer on why religious minority groups should resist the pull of assimilation : [H]ow much blander America would be if the broad, largely secular, and increasingly materialistic Christmas season were everyone’s tradition. If Muslims, Jews, the Amish, the Hindus, and all the rest of . . . . Continue Reading »

Relating an incident that occurred on an expedition to South America, Charles Darwin wrote: In Tierra del Fuego a native touched with his fingers some cold preserved meat which I was eating at our bivouac, and plainly showed utter disgust at its softness; whilst I felt utter disgust at my food being touched by a naked savage, though his hands did not appear dirty…Continue Reading »

Last year you gave your favorite ROFTER a gift subscription to First Things . But what can you give them this year? How about a book by a contributor to  First Things . Over the next few days I’ll be highlighting works by our editors, bloggers, frequent writers, and editorial board . . . . Continue Reading »