Various

Ambassador to the Vatican? Four false assumptions are operative in your Public Square comment “Reopening Wounds” (March). The first is that those who oppose the United States sending an ambassador to the Vatican do so because they want to drive religion from the public square. The . . . . Continue Reading »

Prospects for a Common Morality edited by Gene Outka and John P. Reeder, Jr. Princeton University Press, 302 pages, $47.50 cloth, $16.95 paper Eleven distinguished ethicists weigh in on the question of whether there is a universal morality, relevant to all cultures and traditions by virtue of the . . . . Continue Reading »

Gays on Parade? In his article “Homosexuality in Uniform: Is It Time?” (February), Eugene T. Gomulka would have been better off arguing his point from a pure theological/moral basis instead of relying on the same old myths concerning gay men and women that society is slowly rejecting as . . . . Continue Reading »

Newman and His Age by Sheridan Gilley Christian Classics, 485 pages, $39.95 Wilfred Ward did it, Meriol Trevor did it, and, more recently, Ian Ker did it, and one might have thought that there was no need for another biography of John Henry Newman. But, as is often the case, we don’t know . . . . Continue Reading »

Johnson on Trial? The publication of Phillip E. Johnson’s meandering and emotional diatribe against “Darwinism” in First Things (“Creator or Blind Watchmaker?” January) was deeply disappointing. To begin with, the failure of the magazine to identify Mr. Johnson as a . . . . Continue Reading »

From Synagogue to Church: Public Services and Offices in the Earliest Christian Communities by James Tunstead Burtchaell Cambridge University Press, 375 pages, $59.95 In the tired debate whether the priesthood is of the esse or the bene esse of the Church James Burtchaell offers a provocative . . . . Continue Reading »

Uses and Abuses of the Christian Right Your editorial The Electoral Uses and Abuses of Religion” (December 1992) was an excellent and much needed corrective warning. However, there are certain elements in your statement that are troubling. First, it is clear that you are somewhat nervous and . . . . Continue Reading »

The Book of Legends: Sefer Ha-Aggadah. Legends from the Talmud and Midrash edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky Schocken, 897 pages, $75 Anthologies are frequently described as “treasure troves” of this or that. But The Book of Legends really is a treasure trove of . . . . Continue Reading »

Abortion Wars (cont.) I read “Abortion and a Nation at War” in your October 1992 issue with interest, and might have found it persuasive if I had an open mind on the subject. But I do not have an open mind on the subject, and don’t see how any decent person can in light of the . . . . Continue Reading »

Fathers and Sons in Black and White After having read the article by Russell E. Saltzman entitled “Better Than Their Fathers” in your October 1992 issue, I’m a hit puzzled. Why did the First Things editorial hoard accept this piece? Other than the fact that it was written by a . . . . Continue Reading »