Matthew Schmitz

Richard G. Stern, writer and educator, died on January 24, 2013 at age 84. John Wilson, editor of   Books and Culture , wrote about Stern’s stories as part of a year-end fiction roundup in our December 2005 issue:  The protagonist of Stern’s story . . . . Continue Reading »

The Machinery of Criminal Justice by Stephanos Bibas Oxford, 320 pages, $75 There are two criminal justice systems in America. This great divide cleaves not white and black, rich and poor, male and female (though such divisions are very real) but rather the criminal justice system of the popular . . . . Continue Reading »

Via the Moscow Times , we learn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has hired ’90s icons Boyz II Men to perform at a concert series promoting higher birthrates: President Vladimir Putin’s crusade to raise the country’s birth rate is set to get . . . . Continue Reading »

We are very pleased to introduce Maureen Mullarkey as our newest blogger. Her blog will take up cultural, artistic, and (of course) religious matters. Here’s a bit of her introductory post : I am a painter, as was my father. He descended from a line of British bricklayers who had taken up . . . . Continue Reading »

Between 15010 and 1512, Leonardo da Vinci drew the human fetus with startling and unprecedented accuracy. According to Arizona State Univeristy’s Embryo Project Encyclopedia , Leonardo is regarded as “the very first in history to correctly depict the human fetus in its proper position . . . . Continue Reading »

From the National Organization for Marriage’s Brian Brown: Not long ago, I sent you an email hinting that NOM was getting ready to launch some major initiatives. Well, after participating in the March for Life last Friday, I am excited to announce that NOM is putting together a March for . . . . Continue Reading »

C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton have introduced many to the riches of Christianity, but Elliot Milco urges those of us who have benefited from their writing not to linger at the fringes of the faith : Most of us go through a period of inquiry that marks the transition between the thoughtless . . . . Continue Reading »

Michael J. New: After  Roe  v.  Wade , conceptions increased by 30 percent. The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect has reported that child abuse has increased more than 1,000 percent since Roe v. Wade. The cohort of 14-to-17-year-olds born after the  Roe  v. Wade . . . . Continue Reading »

When Chinese bloggers watched Barack Obama placed his hand on the Bible to swear the oath of office yesterday, many drew the conclusion that religion—-in particular, Christianity—-is the key to democracy’s success. Quartz , the  Atlantic ‘s new business site, reports . . . . Continue Reading »

The New York Times famously—-and tellingly—-greeted Roe v. Wade  by declaring that the Supreme Court had effectively ended the abortion debate. What they did not do, as often claimed, was use the term “settled” or run the headline “Supreme Court Settles Abortion . . . . Continue Reading »