Matthew Schmitz

An apparently earnest man wants to hold Israel and Italy responsible for the death of Christ : A Kenyan lawyer has filed a petition with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, suggesting that the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ was unlawful, and the State of Israel among others . . . . Continue Reading »

The eminent, often iconoclastic, sociologist Robert Bellah passed away in recent days at the age of eighty six. The cause of death was apparently complication from a minor surgery. While Bellah was not a young man, when I saw him last December he was physically sturdy and mentally vigorous. . . . . Continue Reading »

“Judge not, that ye be not judged,” Christ said two millenia ago. Pope Francis’ recent restatement of this—-“A gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will—-well, who am I to judge him?”—-will surprise only those who have accepted the ugliest . . . . Continue Reading »

Are pro-lifers wrong to speak of the “unborn child”? A reader annoyed with Ramesh Ponnuru’s use of the phrase wrote him, saying, “There is no child until birth. Late in pregnancy the fetus may have some moral status but it is still not a child.” Ramesh replied: “Merriam-Webster’s . . . . Continue Reading »

  Same-sex marriage will be a nightmare for the basic liberties and public privileges of religious groups. And not just for Christians : Sikh temples have been advised to halt all civil marriage ceremonies on their premises to protect them from possible legal challenges for refusing to conduct . . . . Continue Reading »

Tim Powers In our August/September issue , Randy Boyagoda expresses a fatigue that many avid readers can relate to: “I’m sick of Flannery O’Connor. I’m also sick of Walker Percy, G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and . . . . Continue Reading »

Even as the rest of the country has grown more accepting of same-sex marriage, Evangelicals have held firm. Over the past ten years, Evangelical opposition to same-sex marriage has stayed constant—-even slightly increased - —according to a new report from the Barna Group : In 2003, 12 . . . . Continue Reading »

One-hundred and fifty years ago today, Gen. John F. Reynolds made the crucial tactical decisions that would start the Battle of Gettysburg, then became one of its first fatalities. Reynolds was widely admired for his personal qualities and military skill—-we have found no recorded negative . . . . Continue Reading »

Polygamists are celebrating the Supreme Court’s marriage rulings, Buzzfeed reports : The Supreme Court’s rulings in favor of same-sex marriage Wednesday were greeted with excitement by polygamists across the country, who viewed the gay rights victory as a crucial step toward the . . . . Continue Reading »

In a press release today, the Catholic Bishops led by Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Salvatore Cordileone call the Court’s DOMA ruling “tragic” and also lament that it failed to uphold Prop 8: Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme Court has dealt a profound . . . . Continue Reading »