Today the British House of Lords began debate on a bill that would create a right to gay marriage. Speaking before the body, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby panned it : The result is confusion. Marriage is abolished, redefined and recreated being different and unequal for different . . . . Continue Reading »
David and Collin , I think the connection between Calvinism and the Baptist heritage is more than just about historical overlap. The question of just how much those two categories really overlap in history is very hotly contested, but that’s not the only reason to bring other dimensions into . . . . Continue Reading »
Political action committees are not enough, says R. R. Reno in today’s column . We also need a politics of the imagination. Yes, politics has a practical dimension. Campaigns can be run well—or poorly. Laws can be well crafted—or not. Constitutional lawyers can argue more or less effectively. . . . . Continue Reading »
For a number of years I’ve been checking Jewish Ideas Daily, a site that featured writers I’d like to publish in First Things (and in fact often have). It’s now morphed into something new: Mosaic Magazine . This new web offering is the ultimate anti-Twitter. It’s goal is to . . . . Continue Reading »
In a baccalaureate address at Princeton University, Ben Bernanke reminded his high-achieving audience that the meritocracy is not synonymous with justice : The concept of success leads me to consider so-called meritocracies and their implications. We have been taught that meritocratic institutions . . . . Continue Reading »
BIG THOUGHTS HERE. I have an article on the content of LW’s speech coming out in a few days. Meanwhile, I agree with Pat Deneen that it would have been better had the speech actually had some humanistic content. But one speech can’t do everything, and rare is the commencement address . . . . Continue Reading »
Timothy George, the distinguished theologian and leader of Evangelical-Catholic dialogue, is the newest fortnightly web columnist for First Things . His first piece , which contrasts the spiritual outlooks of Pope Francis and Katharine Jefferts Schori, calls on Christians to take seriously . . . . Continue Reading »
Weaving a Sacramental Tapestry Daniel Edward Young, Called to Communion A Reflection on the Passion of Anger Msgr. Charles Pope, Archdiocese of Washington Terry Eagleton: “We’ve Forgetten How to Read” Nick Mount, Globe & Mail The Real Roots of Homegrown Terrorism Frank Furedi, . . . . Continue Reading »
1. So Carl on Berry and Kate/Pete on taxes are classic posts. 2. Although there’s a lot about Wendell Berry that’s instructive and admirable, I have to admit I don’t love him. That’s because I just don’t think he’s empirically correct in so many ways. Carl . . . . Continue Reading »
1. I love Wendell Berry. Still. 2. I love Wendell Berry-ites, especially the evangelical Christian ones out there. Last year I attended a wonderful Wendell Berry book group which met in the jewel of Lynchburg, the White Hart Café, the best Inklings-themed beer-serving coffee shop on the . . . . Continue Reading »