Richard John Neuhaus

Nobody has revealed the details, but Judith Miller declares herself “very satisfied” with the severance package she got from the New York Times . In an interview, she described herself as a “free woman.” Then there is this interesting line on what she means by that. She said . . . . Continue Reading »

If once having shaken hands is meeting, I have met Philip Rieff. But he has been much more than that in the shaping of my mind. The Triumph of the Therapeutic , published in 1966, is still a brilliant analysis of our cultural habits, it seems to me. Although, if I went back to read it now, I might . . . . Continue Reading »

It’s election day also in New York City and it is unanimously expected that Michael Bloomberg will receive something like a coronation, which is probably just as well. Bloomberg is a billionaire and there is grumbling about his “buying” his reelection, but the complaint is more or . . . . Continue Reading »

It happened again yesterday. I can’t imagine that any author is not pleased when people come up and say that one of his books “changed my life.” But it is only every great once in a while that the book mentioned is In Defense of People . Published in 1971, it was, I believe, the . . . . Continue Reading »

A reader takes this site to task for not having commentary on proposed budget cuts, the Iranian president’s threat to destroy Israel, U.S. policy toward the thuggery of Chavez in Venezuela, and a dozen other items on the front pages. A clarification is obviously in order. This website is not . . . . Continue Reading »

Tonight is the annual Erasmus Lecture, this year delivered by Dr. Timothy George, a Baptist and dean of Beeson Divinity School. The subject is the men who shaped modern evangelicalism: Carl McIntire, Carl Henry, and W.A. Criswell, with a generous acknowledgment of Billy Graham. The Erasmus Lecture, . . . . Continue Reading »

Paul Greenberg, among my favorite columnists, writes on "The Balm of Time." He went back to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and had lunch with a local politician whom he had sharply criticized when, many years ago, he wrote for the local paper. It seemed not to matter now. On holding grudges, he . . . . Continue Reading »

Columnists say it should be irrelevant, and then go on to discuss it at length. I’m not at all sure it is irrelevant. It reflects a very major change in American public life. Of course, the Constitution prohibits a “religion test” and therefore it should be irrelevant to whether . . . . Continue Reading »

Catholics are reminded that this is All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation. If you haven’t been to Mass yet, there is still time. You say it’s thirty miles away? Inconvenience does not negate but sweetens duty. So here we go again. This time, however, it seems likely that the great . . . . Continue Reading »

The Public Square The notion that in matters of religion, but not only in matters of religion, one must make a choice between tolerance and truth is as persistent as it is false. It comes up again in connection with a study designed by sociologists James D. Davidson and Dean R. Hoge that explores . . . . Continue Reading »