Stuck in the Catholic Moment

Has the ‘Catholic moment’ passed? Rod Dreher worries it might have, in a recent post at The American Conservative examining Fr. Richard John Neuhaus’ thesis. A quick primer for those unfamiliar with the term under consideration: In brief, Neuhaus argued that, as a result of both . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

Meghan Grizzle on true reproductive health : ‘Reproductive health’ is the subject of numerous international conferences, United Nations meetings, agency reports, and NGO papers, yet the meaning of the term can vary widely—and very consequentially. Clarity about reproductive health is . . . . Continue Reading »

Mandating Locke

Beginning with a quote from Philip Rieff is usually a good sign, and Thaddeus Kozinski does so in his  Religious Freedom and the Triumph of the Therapeutic , published on the Center for Morality in Public Life’s Ethika Politika weblog. He argues, as have others, that opposing the . . . . Continue Reading »

Atheist Triumphalism

Edmund Burke once said: Boldness formerly was not the character of Atheists as such. They were even of a character nearly the reverse; they were formerly like the old Epicureans, rather an unenterprising race. But of late they are grown active, designing, turbulent, and seditious. I wonder what . . . . Continue Reading »

Because the Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So

It has long been an unfortunate admission among Catholic Christians that they are not as biblically literate as their Protestant counterparts. Professor Gary Gutting , writing for the New York Times, makes good on this mark in a remarkable piece about why Catholics have no particular reason why . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links — 2.17.12

Jeremy Lin’s Faith David Brooks, New York Times Redefining Religious Activity Meir Soloveichik, Jewish Ideas Daily Contraception and Catholicism Christopher Tollefsen, National Review The Fraternal Character of the Priesthood Nicholas Frankovich, American Catholic Model of Temple Mount Comes . . . . Continue Reading »

Expanding the Secular Square

There has been a lot of thoughtful commentary on the HHS Mandate the last couple of weeks.  Ross Douthat and Yuval Levin argue that Obama levels the ‘little platoons’ of civil society in favor of expanding the power of the state.  Here is Levin: “In this arena, as in a . . . . Continue Reading »