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R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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Islamic Leaders in America

From First Thoughts

A helpful discussion on the role of Islam in America by Thomas F. Farr—posted on The Public Discourse —points out the ways in which the recent controversy about an Islamic Center near Ground Zero threatens to side-track the positive contributions that Muslims can make in America. At the . . . . Continue Reading »

Patriots in Babylon

From Web Exclusives

The New Testament does not seem to encourage patriotism. The Revelation to John juxtaposes the heavenly hosts arrayed against the malign powers of darkness, two worlds, two governments, if you will: the heavenly Jerusalem ruled by the slain Lamb, and the earthly Babylon, awash in luxury, decadence, and death. What Christian could be a patriot for Babylon? … Continue Reading »

D’Souza Unconvincing

From First Thoughts

Third World anti-colonialism as the key to the policies and decisions of the Obama administration? After reading the Forbes cover story by Dinesh D’Souza, “ How Obama Thinks ,” I found myself scratching my head. In D’Souza’s account, the interpretive key to the Obama . . . . Continue Reading »

Elite Leadership and Anxiety About Islam

From First Thoughts

As September 11 passed, I found myself thinking about the Ground Zero mosque, and the bizarre on-again, off-again story of planned Koran burning in Florida. Why, I found myself wondering, have these stories come to the fore? I’m more and more convinced that these strange episodes—as well . . . . Continue Reading »

The Golden-Mouthed Preacher

From First Thoughts

Today the Church remembers St. John Chrysostom, a great preacher and leader in the early Church. Made Archbishop of Constantinople in 398, he was impolitic enough to denounce the opulence, hypocrisy, and debauchery of the imperial court, earning him banishment in 403. While I was writing a . . . . Continue Reading »

Progressive Catholicism’s Simplistic Thesis

From Web Exclusives

Nearly fifty years have past, but the legacy of the Second Vatican Council (it ended in November 1965) still remains a matter of debate. Not surprisingly, studies of the history often become advocacy. The American Catholic Revolution: How the Sixties Changed the Church Forever, by Mark S. Massa, S. J., is no exception. Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, Fr. Massa hangs his history on the old caricatures that have dominated liberal interpretations of modern Catholic history for decades… . Continue Reading »