First Thoughts

The Craft of Christian Wiman

In light of our upcoming poetry event on October 25, here's an introduction to Christian Wiman's verse.

What We've Been Reading—10.16.15

I am reading The Blondelian Synthesis: A Study of the Influence of German Philosophical Sources on the Formation of Blondel's Method and Thought by John McNeil. It's a really fine, detailed scholarly study of the influence of Spinoza, Kant, Schelling and Hegel on Blondel. I was enjoying it so much I googled John McNeil to find out if he wrote anything else! Continue Reading »

Q and A for People Who Hate the Benedict Option

A one-act play.

First Links — 10.15.15

Sluttery and Shakespeare
B. D. McClay, Hedgehog Review

If You're Not Paranoid, You're Crazy
Walter Kirn, Atlantic

Glory and Vainglory
Charlie Clark, Fare Forward

Camille Paglia's Ambiguous Critical Legacy
Stephen Eide, National Association of Scholars

In Which Three Adults Discuss The Once and Future King Seriously and At Length
Johannah King-Slutzky And Joe Howley, Toast

Civil Society, Church, and State

Civil society does not represent an effort to “fix” something, whether it be the overweening state or the corrosive market. To think that it does is to miss the point.
Continue Reading »

First Links — 10.14.15

How Technology Has Changed the Way We Relate to Each Other
Jessica Love, American Scholar

Will Michael Gove Dare to Bring Christianity into his Prison Reform Plans?
Kate Maltby, Spectator

The Crown Will Find an Heir: A Shakespearean Guide to the 2016 Democratic Primary
Emily Uecker, McSweeney's

‘Still Life' Movie Review
Janet, Three Prayers

The Pope Vs. The Wind
Alan Taylor, Atlantic

The Wonders of Freecycling

Gifting: Vintage sneakers. Hanging from telephone wire on street. All weather. You will need a ladder, but you can’t beat free!

The Perfect Protest for This Present Age

An anti-gun protest in Texas offers a superb summary of this present age. Continue Reading »

First Links — 10.13.15

Pond Scum: Henry David Thoreau's Moral Myopia
Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker

Bradbury the Realist
Thomas F. Bertonneau, University Bookman

Beginning the Benedict Option Today
Leah Libresco, Patheos

There's a Way to Stop Mass Shootings and You Won't Like It
Rob Myers, MyStudentApt

Early Warning Signs of Adult-Onset Calvinism
Stephen Altrogge, The Blazing Center

Morgan Stanley Announces New “Catholic” Investment Program

Converting mainstream liberal values into Catholic commitments. Continue Reading »