The year 2018 marked the sixteen-hundredth anniversary of the excommunication of one of Christianity’s most famous heretics: the fifth-century monk Pelagius, who gave his name to “Pelagianism,” the set of beliefs that denies the doctrine of original sin and the need for grace in order to live . . . . Continue Reading »
More than any other philosopher, Thomas Hobbes highlighted the claim that fear serves as a foundation for establishing the authority of the sovereign ruler. But fear has served not only the cause of political authority. Fear has always played a central role in the evolution of morality and in the . . . . Continue Reading »
The God who haunts R. S. Thomas’s poetry is a hidden God, known by his absence. Continue Reading »
When the Sight & Sound poll—the oldest and most prestigious film ranking—declared in 2012 that Vertigo was the greatest film ever made, Armond White denounced the film’s admirers for their “obsessive interest in pathology and soullessness.” James Wolcott dismissed the . . . . Continue Reading »
Our throwaway culture has come to include entire buildings. Everywhere one looks, one senses the impermanence of place. Continue Reading »
Our choice isn’t between “enchanted” religion and “disenchanted” modernity; the choice is more typically among rival enchantments. Continue Reading »
“Mutual mediation” is, in fact, what the Reformers meant by “priesthood of believers.” Continue Reading »
Everyday innovations—even our smart watches—can pose dangers of disembodiment. Continue Reading »
I live in Berkeley, one of the most religious cities in America. Its churches are being converted into mosques and Buddhist temples, but its one true faith endures. A popular yard sign states its creed: “In This House, We Believe: Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights are Human Rights, No . . . . Continue Reading »
The new Oxford, with its fair share of Starbucks and burger joints, is far more convenient than the old—but it is not such a good place in which to think and imagine. Continue Reading »
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