R. Jay Magill is tired of the cultural cachet accorded to “sincerity,” warning too much of it can be like “an iron girder in a house of cards,” as he paraphrases W. Somerset Maugham. While the occasional burst of heartfelt self-expression can be refreshing and interesting, . . . . Continue Reading »
In this month’s American Interest , Damar Marusic gives an overview of what he sees as the rise, apogee, and eventual decline of human rights rhetoric in international affairs. The moral overtones of rights language, once deliberately grounded in the natural law tradition and Anglo-Saxon . . . . Continue Reading »
James R. Rogers on defending religious “practices” using the language of rights : Except under a narrowly defined religious exception, the requirement under the Affordable Health Care Act that employers provide insurance that pays for contraception and other reproductive services, . . . . Continue Reading »
The FDA has approved a pill that can help those having sex with HIV + partners avoid being infected. From the SF Chronicle story:The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the marketing of the first drug shown to curb the transmission of the HIV virus, a development heralded by AIDS . . . . Continue Reading »
As we near the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, George Weigel considers the legacy of Fr. Francis Murphy (alias Xavier Rynne), who covered the Council for The New Yorker , and who (it is argued) gave birth to the “good guys vs. bad guys” hermeneutic. Weigel . . . . Continue Reading »
It’s always good to see the New York Times acknowledge reality: that marriage is better for parents, better for children, and better for society. In a lengthy article based in my hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich., reporter Jason DeParle profiles two mothers — one married, one not — and . . . . Continue Reading »
Religion in Human Evolution, Part I Andrew Brown, The Guardian When Everything’s for Sale Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement (UK) Two Classes, Divided by “I Do” Jason DeParle, New York Times What Is Liberal Christianity? Ross Douthat, Evaluations . . . . Continue Reading »
There is a consensus that Reihan Salam is good at what he does, but what is that exactly? Take the blog that he writes for National Review , the Agenda . By what standard could we say that the Agenda is a good blog? You can’t go by accuracy, because Reihan assiduously avoids taking a firm stand . . . . Continue Reading »
The presidential campaign is both very boring and a waste of attention. Obama’s minions (to include the Boston Globe of course) would accuse Romney of being Jack the Ripper and the captain of the Exxon Valdez if they thought that such accusations would deflect public attention from the . . . . Continue Reading »
The Christian Science Monitor reports growth among evangelicals in France. Largely young and drawn from minorities. Seems as though the churches are mainly Baptist or Pentecostal. . . . . Continue Reading »
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