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Happy Baby Stories

A young friend writes: My soon-to-be-wife has expressed to me her frustration that, in most literature she has read, babies always seem to be portrayed as burdens, or at least they focus on the unpleasant experiences of caring for babies. She wishes she could find some “happy baby . . . . Continue Reading »

Minimalism, fundamentalism & inclusivism

The following items are crossposted at Notes from a Byzantine-Rite Calvinist: The December issue of National Geographic Magazine carries an article, Kings of Controversy, exploring the debate over whether a united Israelite kingdom under David and Solomon ever existed or whether an overly fertile . . . . Continue Reading »

Divided Over Matters of Fact

“It seems to me that at its root, Protestantism is a denial of the authority of the Church,” wrote a young Protestant friend (one apparently attracted to the Catholic Church) in an e-mail discussion. “I know that it’s couched in terms of . . . . Continue Reading »

Religion in Public Life

MoJ’s Rob Vischer uses this story about the culture of marital infidelity in Russia to raise questions about the relationship between law and cultural norms in maintaining general public adherence to the practices constitutive of healthy family life. Do not laws, he seems to ask, that are . . . . Continue Reading »

Afternoon Links — 12.2.10

The fate of an Afghan imprisoned for converting to Christianity may be the subject of a meeting between General David Petraeus and President Karzai. The prosecutor says he and another convert face the death penalty or life imprisonment. Delaying having children leads to more stressful lives for men . . . . Continue Reading »

To Treat One Another As Humans: Part 2a

I have recently urged gay rights advocates To Treat One Another As Humans. We Christians need reminders at times, too. Our public face in the gay-rights controversy is dominated by the message of “You Can’t Do That!” We don’t entirely control how the media portray us, but we . . . . Continue Reading »

Forced Charity

In today’s second “On the Square” article, James Kerian rejects Charity by the Sword , the contemporary version of the old and now universally rejected practice of “conversion by the sword.” The Christians who advocate it, and they include an ecumenical array of . . . . Continue Reading »

The Ugliness of Seventies-Style Feminism

In a recent “Review” section containing a variety of lifestyle content, the Wall Street Journal chose to give front page real estate to a short essay by Erica Jong, the author and pioneer of a certain feminist sexual frankness.  The piece in question was an attack on attachment . . . . Continue Reading »

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