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Lizzy Bennet and Her Katana

From First Thoughts

What would Pride and Prejudice and Zombies be like? You probably saw the book mentioned somewhere (in the recent Public Square , perhaps) and found yourself intrigued by the title. It turns out that taking the abridged text of Pride and Prejudice and adding “unmentionables,” vomit, . . . . Continue Reading »

Faith-Based Fatherhood

From First Thoughts

Religion Clause , the blog for all things First Amendment, reports that the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has set up six task forces to advise the President on the following topics: “(1) reform of the faith-based office, (2) fatherhood, (3) . . . . Continue Reading »

Notre Dame Qur’an Conference

From First Thoughts

Gabriel Reynolds, assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, writes us: First Things might have some interest in the international conference on the Qur’an that is opening tonight at Notre Dame. Among others both Nasr Hamid Ab? Zayd and Abdolkarim Sorroush will be . . . . Continue Reading »

Safe, Legal, and Not So Rare

From First Thoughts

China’s one-child policy should be the dream come true of population-control advocates. But there’s just one problem: The Chinese prefer boys to girls, so girls are more likely to be aborted than boys. Sixteen million girls, to be precise, between 1985 and 2005, a slaughter of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Christendom Review

From First Thoughts

Those interested in new Christian publications should check out The Christendom Review . The journal describes itself as follows: The Christendom Review is a literary journal dedicated to the Diaspora of Christendom, that remnant of people who either deliberately or intuitively subscribe to the . . . . Continue Reading »

Mary Ruiz Remembers RJN

From First Thoughts

Our former assistant editor Mary Angelita Ruiz has a beautiful remembrance of Fr. Neuhaus in the new issue of Dappled Things , the magazine she helped found. The beginning is especially nice: Richard John Neuhaus sang “Come Thou Fount of Ev’ry Blessing,” that stalwart American hymn, . . . . Continue Reading »

Music for Holy Thursday: Amicus Meus

From First Thoughts

Equally beautiful , but more haunting is Victoria’s first tenebrae responsory for Holy Thursday. Notice how the verse ends with “se suspendit”—he hanged himself—a line reflected in the music with a half note and rest where you would expect a whole note to resolve. Amicus . . . . Continue Reading »