Matthew Schmitz

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 »

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 »

The universe is “built in a way that to me suggests intelligent design,” says Stephen King in an interview with NPR : If you say, “Well, OK, I don’t believe in God. There’s no evidence of God,” then you’re missing the stars in the sky and you’re . . . . Continue Reading »

On this Memorial Day it’s worth returning to David Mills’ thoughts on the difficulty and necessity of feeling proper gratitude for the sacrifices made by others: I know that from their sacrifices and losses I and those I love gained much (and much we take for granted), but I find it . . . . Continue Reading »

The woman who confronted two men who beheaded a British soldier in London this week credits her Catholic faith with giving her courage : A mother of two who calmly confronted the Woolwich attackers on Wednesday has attributed her courage to her Catholic faith. Ingrid Loyau-Kennet, a practising . . . . Continue Reading »

Trevin Wax subscribes to complementarianism—-the belief that men and women have distinct but complementary roles in society and church—-but thinks its culture prone to certain excesses : a reticence or hesitance to affirm and celebrate women’s contributions in local church . . . . Continue Reading »

In his column for today , George Weigel says that President Obama’s April 26 speech to Planned Parenthood contained “nothing short of blasphemy”: President Obama concluded his remarks as follows: “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you . . . ” And that is nothing short of blasphemy. . . . . Continue Reading »

Gosnell agrees to forgo appeal and is spared the death sentence : A Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of killing three babies who were born alive in his grimy clinic agreed Tuesday to give up his right to an appeal and faces life in prison but will be spared a death sentence. Dr. Kermit . . . . Continue Reading »

In today’s Gosnell coverage, some of the nation’s most prominent media outlets called Gosnell’s victims “fetuses.” The  New York Times   wrote that “the defense battled over whether the fetuses Dr. Gosnell was charged with killing were alive when they . . . . Continue Reading »

Kermit Gosnell has been found guilty on three counts of first-degree murder. Even if he receives the death sentence, Gosnell almost certainly will never face execution. As Charles Johnson of the Patriot News reported in September, Pennsylvania has one of the longest green miles in the country. . . . . Continue Reading »