Dude, Where’s My Gospel?

Gospel deficiency is the major crisis of the evangelical church. The good news has been replaced by many things, most often a therapeutic, self-help approach to biblical application. The result is a Church that, ironically enough, preaches works, not grace, and a growing number of Christians who . . . . Continue Reading »

Dear Sarah Palin

If you come to Columbus, OH, in the near future, I would enjoy interviewing you.  Perhaps coffee or tea @ the local Panera?There is something about blogging, something lacking.  We’re out here, just writing, alone and with little reward.  Many of us are neither reporters nor any . . . . Continue Reading »

Of Friction and Frictionlessness

Ross is back — as a blogger, that is, after a well-deserved six-month hiatus. Riffing off of Peter’s lament that “our political debates will become indistinguishable from our health care debates,” becoming “permanently intertwined, going on and on, forever and ever, . . . . Continue Reading »

Polyphony at St. Peters

A Palestrina mass was sung t St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome this evening, reflecting Pope Benedict XVI’s longstanding efforts to bring polyphony back into the liturgy, reports Sandro Magister in his authoritative chiesa.com website. Benedict has profound insights into sacred music and its . . . . Continue Reading »

Re: Personal Picks in the December Issue

I recommend heading straight for the poetry. Mary Ellen is certainly right to point out Dana Gioia’s “Majority” as one of the gems of this issue. I also enjoyed Tim Murphy’s bracing advice in ” Farm Boy, Call Kayla ” and Rhina P. Espaillat’s tribute to him . . . . Continue Reading »

“Pulling the Plug on Conscience”

I have a long piece out in this month’s First Things on the conscience clause issue.  I believe that the Culture of Death brooks no dissent and we are witnessing the beginning of requirements for health care professionals to either participate in medical procedures that end human . . . . Continue Reading »

Personal Picks in the December Issue

As someone who considers a well-chosen book the best of all possible gifts, my recommended first stop in the December issue must be the special Christmas for Readers section. Among the “ Thrillers and Throwbacks ,” Gyles Brandreth’s Oscar Wilde mystery looks especially promising, and . . . . Continue Reading »