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Merrie Melodies and Magisterial Authority

From First Thoughts

For reasons I cannot fathom, Michael Winters of the National Catholic Reporter seems determined to cast himself as the Wile E. Coyote of contemporary liberal Catholicism. His elaborate efforts to capture his prey—his roadrunners are those “culture warrior” bishops (such as Charles Chaput of Philadelphia) and Catholic intellectuals who are too zealous for his taste in defending the Church’s teachings on life, marriage, and sexual morality—inevitably backfire, usually comically and sometimes humiliatingly. But he intrepidly keeps at it, hoping against hope, I suppose, that his next effort will finally bring success. Continue Reading »

Colbert’s Double Game

From First Thoughts

The cognoscenti tell me that Stephen Colbert, who is a self-identified faithful member of a Church that teaches that homosexual inclinations are intrinsically disordered and that sodomy is a mortal sin, is a smart guy—a really smart guy. Evidently, his shtick is to adopt the persona of a certain type of individual whom he regards as intellectually and morally inferior to himself so that he can ridicule people of that sort. This, I’m told, is the kind of humor that people who watch Stephen Colbert, who is a self-identified faithful member of a Church that teaches that homosexual inclinations are intrinsically disordered and that sodomy is a mortal sin, relish. Continue Reading »

Victoria Beeching and Plato’s Third Form of Atheism

From First Thoughts

Victoria Beeching is a celebrity in the world of evangelical Christian music. The singer made big news last week when she announced that “I am gay and God loves me just the way I am.” A little while before her announcement, she had endorsed same-sex marriage. Evidently, she’s on a mission to change the views of Christians and the teachings of Christianity on matters of sexual morality and marriage. Continue Reading »

Advice to Young Scholars

From First Thoughts

Advice to young scholars and, especially, to aspiring public intellectuals: Although it is natural and, in itself, good to desire and even seek affirmation, do not fall in love with applause. It is a drug. When you get some of it, you crave more. It can easily deflect you from your mission and . . . . Continue Reading »