R. R. Reno

The latest issue of The City features an article by First Thoughts contributor Matthew Milliner: ” The Tale of Two Art Worlds .” Milliner recounts the trajectory of postmodern art criticism, which over recent decades has adopted a progressive political outlook that . . . . Continue Reading »

In ” Marriage and the Law of Tradition ,” a new posting on Public Discourse, R. J. Snell recounts the reasons St. Thomas gives authority to tradition. St. Thomas viewed the laws of society (a notion that encompassed written laws as well as social norms) as subject to rational scrutiny. . . . . Continue Reading »

In the history of the church, one of the most famous conflicts was between St. Bernard (d.1153), the charismatic abbot of Clairvaux, and Peter Abelard (d.1143), the brilliant medieval logician and theologian. St. Bernard thought that Abelard’s new approach to theology, an approach that . . . . Continue Reading »

As C-FAM reports , representatives in the Council of Europe, the European legislative body that meets in Strasbourg, France, reversed an effort by abortion proponents. A resolution came before the Council that was designed to make it difficult for medical professionals to refuse to perform or . . . . Continue Reading »

We are not at home in the world, at least not in our current damaged condition. As St. Augustine put it: we long to untangle ourselves from the earthly city and its wounding self-loves so that we can journey toward the heavenly city, but our bondage is self-wrought, and we cannot free ourselves… . Continue Reading »

On his blog, Ed Feser offers some amusing versions of the informal fallacies , in this case very informal ones. They’re all worth quoting, so I will. Post doc, ergo propter doc : The delusion that a Ph.D. confers wisdom, or even basic competence. Example: “Of course  the medievals . . . . Continue Reading »

Over at Public Discourse, Robert Lowry Clinton weighs in on the ascendancy of the Supreme Court as the Supreme Legislature that dictates national affairs. Clinton argues that the emergence of an activist judiciary stems from an elite attempt to retain power over and against a democratic majority. . . . . Continue Reading »

In a recent posting, Tony Campolo effuses about the inclusive ministry of Jesus . Jesus, he writes, “was always reaching out to the marginalized.” Therefore, he concludes, evangelicals need to affirm homosexuals and support the political effort to secure for gays and lesbians “all . . . . Continue Reading »

• Remember the alliance of atheists who offered to take care of your pets in the event of the Rapture? We’ve spoken of them before. On the group’s website, you’ll find: “Q: Is this a joke? A: No. This is a serious offer to our Christian friends who believe in the Second Coming and . . . . Continue Reading »

Edmund Gosse’s books are lovely to read but eminently forgettable. A winsome writer, fine stylist, poets of sorts, essayist, and arbiter of taste in the early decades of the twentieth century, he flourished at the center of London literary circles, and was eventually knighted for his cultural contributions… . Continue Reading »