Joseph Bottum is the former editor of First Things.

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RE: The members of Philharmonic

I don’t know, Mike. You’re a composer , and you actually know how musicians and the bookers of orchestras think. So I take your point, when you swat down young Santiago Ramos for his defense of the New York Philharmonic’s February trip to North Korea. Beautiful music can be put to . . . . Continue Reading »

3 Jan 2008

A Family Priest

CNN is carrying a news item about a Pennsylvania priest indicted for his mob connections. Is it odd that my first thought, on reading this, wasn’t about the crime, or the scandal to the laity, or the betrayal of vows? Pop culture constrains us all, and my first thought was actually: . . . . Continue Reading »

3 Jan 2008

Mea Culpa

Advance copies of the new issue—dated February 2008—just arrived in our office. That’s usually good news, but this time, ugh. The issue features an article by Cardinal Dulles called, “Who Can Be Saved?” And there, on page 22, at the end of the article, is a world-class . . . . Continue Reading »

2 Jan 2008

Speaking Truth to Power, If You’ve Got Some Truth

The blog Instapundit notes a report of moderation at the Modern Language Association. Well, moderate moderation, anyway. In its general meeting this year, the MLA managed to turn back proposals to condemn American universities for failing to support anti-Israeli activists. More, the MLA rejected a . . . . Continue Reading »

30 Dec 2007

Stem Cells, Then and Now

In the January issue of Commentary , there’s a fascinating article called “Stem Cells and the President—An Inside Account,” written by Jay Lefkowitz, who was the official “primarily responsible for advising the President” on the issue of stem cells during the . . . . Continue Reading »

27 Dec 2007

Remembering Amnesia

Repressed-memory syndrome—a claim that dissociative amnesia follows a traumatic experience—was one of the most popular psychiatric diagnosis in the 1980s and 1990s. Back in 2003, Paul McHugh wrote what was probably the definitive account of the long struggle by a handful of psychiatrists . . . . Continue Reading »

26 Dec 2007

Evil Intentions

So, the actor Will Smith tells a British newspaper that “Even Hitler didn’t wake up going, ‘let me do the most evil thing I can do today.’” Whereupon he is pilloried for praising Hitler. Roger Kimball has a solid roundup of the supposed scandal. Will Smith is, at the . . . . Continue Reading »

26 Dec 2007

Mary Ann Glendon Confirmed

Mary Ann Glendon resigned last month from the board of First Things in order, she said, to clear herself of all commitments before beginning work for the U.S. government. It seemed an unreasonable trade to me—I mean, an ambassador rather than a First Things board member?—but she decided . . . . Continue Reading »

23 Dec 2007

First Thoughts on Tony Blair’s Catholicism

The lead item on the BBC news website has been the reception of Tony Blair into full communion with the Catholic Church. The move had long been expected: His wife and children were already Catholic, he had been attending Catholic services (but not taking communion) for some time, and his last . . . . Continue Reading »

23 Dec 2007

Tears, Idle Tears

As the “Sussex Carol”—an underappreciated carol and one of my favorites for the season—asks: Then why should men on earth be sad, Since our Redeemer made us glad? Well, one answer is that Georgetown just got schooled by the Memphis Tigers in one of the ugliest performances . . . . Continue Reading »

22 Dec 2007