First Thoughts

First Links — 8.31.15

The Son of Tears
Br. Augustine Marogi, O. P., Dominicana

The Long Rise of the Secular Faith
Peter Berkowitz, Mosaic

Why Cinema Came of Age a Hundred Years Ago
Pamela Hutchinson, The Guardian

Vox: Where Philosophy Goes to Die
Shaun Rieley, IJReview

Catholic Exceptions and Catholic Rules
Ross Douthat, New York Times

The Most Objectionable Part of the Bible

We all hear about the supposed “God of Wrath” in the Hebrew Bible, and the supposed “God of Love” of the New Testament. Those who draw that distinction don’t know their Bibles very well. For the Hebrew Bible celebrates human sexual love, underwritten by the Hebrew Bible’s God, in its . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links — 8.28.15

Our Lady of Reality
Antony Esolen, The Catholic Thing

The End of Walking
Antonia Malchik, Aeon

Does Belief in God Enhance Gratitude?
Christopher Kaczor, Washington Post

Stephen Colbert on Life, Loss, and Faith
Joel Lovell, GQ

First Faculty Meeting of the Year Bingo
Lisa Nikolidakis, McSweeney's

First Links — 8.27.15

Inhabiting the Psalms
Heather Walker Peterson, Humane Pursuits

What Should We Do With Bad Catholics?
K. Albert Little, Patheos

Complementarity: Lessons from the Adams Family
Susan Hanssen, Public Discourse

What God Has Joined Together: Religion and the Risk of Divorce
Bradley Wright, Family Studies

Melancholy
Carina del Valle Schorske, The Point

Preying on Freshmen vs. Praying for Freshmen

College welcome week activities can tell us a lot about the worldview in place on the campus. Continue Reading »

First Links — 8.26.15

How Art Became Irrelevant
Michael J. Lewis, Commentary

Is Polyamory Next?
Robert P. George, The American Interest

Practicing Resurrection
Rod Dreher, The American Conservative

Italian Neighbors Build Social Network, First Online, Then Off
Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times

Class of 2019: Go To Mass
Timothy P. O’Malley, Oblation

Law and Religion Colloquium at St. John's

Featuring Samuel Alito, Robert George, Elizabeth Prodromou, Brett Scharffs, Mark Tushnet, and Robin Wilson Continue Reading »

First Links — 8.25.15

Did Religion Make the American Civil War Worse?
Allen Guelzo, The Atlantic

Even Speech We Hate Should Be Free
Mick Hume, Wall Street Journal

Dark Bird Is Home
Michael Rennier, Dappled Things

God Bless America?
Mark Tooley, Juicy Ecumenicism

The Oldest Message in a Bottle Ever Recovered
Sarah Laskow, Atlas Obscura

More on Union University and the CCCU

In his recent article responding to Carl Trueman, Provost of Union University C. Ben Mitchell makes the point again—joining his President—that Union’s reason for disunion with the CCCU was theological fidelity in the face of Goshen and Eastern Mennonite's theological unfaithfulness. . . . . Continue Reading »

First Links—8.24.15

Where Pope Francis Learned Humility
Paul Vallely, The Atlantic

Eve Tushnet's Great New Novel on Forgiveness and Addiction
Leah Libresco, Patheos

A Catholic Assessment of Gregg Allison's Critique of the “Hermeneutics” of Catholicism
Eduardo Echeverria, Called to Communion

An Idiotic Hierarchy
Marc, Bad Catholic

Saved From Islam on September 11
Charles H. Featherstone, Christianity Today

The Gospels of Mark
Jennifer Graham, Acculturated