Happy Birthday, J.S. Bach!

Today is the birthday of J.S. Bach, on whome First Things has published a good deal over the years. Here are some selections. Uwe Siemon-Notto’s ” J.S. Bach in Japan ” on Bach as the fifth Evangelist: Twenty–five years ago when there was still a Communist East Germany, I . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

George Weigel on Cardinal Dolan and the new evangelization : The irrepressibly effervescent personality of Cardinal Timothy Dolan may tempt some to think of the archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as the latest in a line of glad-handing Irish-American . . . . Continue Reading »

Thomas On Healthcare?

John O’Callaghan of Notre Dame writes this in response to John Breen’s claim about the Church’s proper response to the HHS mandate. A Thomist philosopher’s take on the matter: But with the involvement of the state comes the coercive power of the state.  And so there are at . . . . Continue Reading »

A Review of The Man in the Middle

The Man in the Middle:An Inside Account of Faith and Politics in the George W. Bush EraBy Timothy S. Goeglein(B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, 2011)Reviewed by Connie MarshnerMany people write Washington memoirs because they want to air dirty laundry or spew forth detraction and . . . . Continue Reading »

PETA Airline Protest Hurts People

The subtitle of my book, A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy, is The Human Cost of the Animal Rights Movement.  Case in point: Airlines are foolishly acceding to PETA’s pressure not to transport macaque monkeys, necessary for advanced medical and scientific research.  From the Nature . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links — 3.21.12

The Evangelical Vote Splinters Marcia Pally,  Guardian The GOP’s Fatal Attraction to Rural America Joel Kotkin,  New Geography The Pope’s Cuba Gamble Mary O’Grady , Wall Street Journal How to Have a Conversation John McDermott,   Financial Times Time to Quit the New . . . . Continue Reading »

Good Advice for Mitt (from Larry Sabato)

In addition, Romney needs a partner on the campaign trail — arguably a lot more than most nominees-in-waiting in recent decades. No, not his wife Ann, but a strong, qualified vice-presidential pick to energize him and broaden his appeal. Romney should consider flouting conventional wisdom and . . . . Continue Reading »

In Defense of Vanderbilt — Sort Of

Last week Michale Stokes Paulsen wrote a striking defense of Vanderbilt’s right to prevent students from forming religious groups (while vigorously contesting their decision to do so). The idea, in short, is that the same principle that suggests Christian students should be allowed to form . . . . Continue Reading »