While drinking my third cup of coffee, and reading all this talk of heroin and Charlie Parker, I got to thinking of James Baldwin’s beautiful short story “Sonny’s Blues” (1958). Around the same time that certain Beats were extolling the subconscious primitive impulses of . . . . Continue Reading »
Mistakenly thinking the great Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen had written a book on Catholicism and wanting to give it as an example of Protestant apologetics in yesterday’s item , I googled the subject and found that he didn’t, but he did say this in his book Christianity and . . . . Continue Reading »
In the comments to Kate’s heroin post below, Peter says that heroin was a drug of productivity for Charlie Parker. Well, to rule that out, or, to say it is the truth, would require one to be able to look pretty far into Parker’s soul, and most particularly, into his musical genius. One . . . . Continue Reading »
A reader of the “Catholic Sense” column I write for the Pittsburgh Catholic and a few other diocesan newspapers writes: I believe we Catholics could do much better at defending our faith. Would you recommend books on Basic Christian apologetics (CS Lewis type of apologetics) and . . . . Continue Reading »
While everyone is quite rightly outraged by the abuses of the IRS in singling out conservative group for audits, intrusive inquiries, and endless delays on approval of their tax-exempt status, it has occurred to me that there is one simple solution to the problem that would not require nearly as . . . . Continue Reading »
Responding to a recent piece by Anne Hendershott on the decision of Cardinal Sean O’Malley not to attend the commencement at Boston College because Irish prime minister (and abortion-rights advocate) Enda Kenny was selected for an honorary degree and address to the graduates, a letter-writer . . . . Continue Reading »
This morning a young friend made a Facebook offering referring to people he knows caught up in the heroin epidemic. The article is actually about the benefits of the drug, naloxone , in preventing death from overdose. “They said it worked right away,” says Trish. “They said . . . . Continue Reading »
Peter J. Leithart on Babel, Pentecost, and the Church : Though opposed to Babel, Pentecost simultaneously realizes Babel’s frustrated aspirations. Babel is an effort to arrest the scattering of humanity; Pentecost gathers. Babel aims to preserve the unity of human language and faith; Pentecost . . . . Continue Reading »
The woman who confronted two men who beheaded a British soldier in London this week credits her Catholic faith with giving her courage : A mother of two who calmly confronted the Woolwich attackers on Wednesday has attributed her courage to her Catholic faith. Ingrid Loyau-Kennet, a practising . . . . Continue Reading »
All writers know it’s difficult to get form rejection letters from magazines and journals, but take comfort: if you ever make it, you can send form rejection letters back à la Edmund Wilson : . . . . Continue Reading »
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