Various

Divine Action Ross McCullough dissects the God-of-the-gaps objection (“God and the Gaps,” April), which for too long has functioned as a smear rather than a serious argument at the border between science and theology. It’s unfortunate that we have to be reminded that no (orthodox) Christian . . . . Continue Reading »

Menachem Begin: A Life by Avi Shilon translated by Danielle Zilberberg and Yoram Sharett Yale, 584 pages, $40 The early decades of Israeli politics were dominated by Labor Zionists, mainly secular Ashkenazis (Jews from central and eastern Europe) whose goal was to create a New Jew based upon a . . . . Continue Reading »

Fighting Eugenics In “My Brittle Bones” (March), Philip C. Burcham makes the excellent point that decisions related to genetic illnesses are not medical decisions; they are social decisions. Recently our local community witnessed, via a carefully manipulated media campaign, the suicide of a . . . . Continue Reading »

The One Thomas More by Travis CurtrightCUA, 231 pages, $64.95 Pius XII went from being a “righteous Gentile” to an anti-Semite. The “man for all seasons,” we’ve recently learned, is really a “hater.” He had an admirable start, as an urbane, witty reformer, the author of humanist books . . . . Continue Reading »

Elect Voters At the outset of his thoughtful “The Evangelical Voter” (February), John G. West complains that the Romney campaign did not do more to cultivate Evangelical support while it did establish “outreach groups” for Catholics and Jews. But this was pure show—a not-too-vigorous . . . . Continue Reading »

Roe’s Legacy While Jon Shields’ provocative piece (“Roe’s Pro-Life Legacy,” January) credits the Supreme Court decision with mobilizing the pro-life side to begin “changing the hearts and minds” of those on the pro-choice side, I believe he understates the power of the supporters of . . . . Continue Reading »

Nicholas of Cusa: A Companion to His Life and His Times by Morimichi Watanabe edited by Gerald Christianson and Thomas M. Izbicki Ashgate, 426 pages, $134.95 Early twentieth-century Kantian Ernst Cassirer once dubbed Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464) “the first modern philosopher,” and . . . . Continue Reading »

Keynes Hayek: The Clash that Defined Modern Economics by Nicholas Wapshott Norton, 400 pages, $17.95 In a work that will be enjoyed by specialists and generalists alike, English journalist Nicholas Wapshott brings to life a century of economic debates, the personalities that animated them, and the . . . . Continue Reading »

Consumerist Care It is true that the medical services Wesley J. Smith defines as “consumerist”—such as cosmetic surgery, in vitro fertilization, and Viagra prescriptions—should not be considered basic health care (“Careless Consumerism,” December). But even if coverage included only . . . . Continue Reading »

Conversion Many thanks for publishing David Novak’s learned and perceptive essay “The Jewish Mission” (November), which takes up the question of whether Jews can and should proselytize, seeking the conversion of Gentiles, including Christians. It strikes me that the factor most . . . . Continue Reading »