Modernity does not just refer to the time in which we happen to live, the era that follows the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Those who first recognized themselves as modern defined themselves self-consciously over against the ages that preceded them, though few probably grasped in its fullness . . . . Continue Reading »
In the last fifty years, most writing about modern Catholicism has treated Vatican II as the great watershed. According to the standard narrative, the Church before the Council was wedded to a stultifying scholasticism and sunk in soul-crushing authoritarianism. After the Council, a new spirit . . . . Continue Reading »
In The Irony of Modern Catholic History, George Weigel offers a comprehensive interpretation of the history of the Catholic Church’s encounter with modernity. For Weigel, the fixed point in this story is the goodness of the aspirations of “political modernity,” by which he generally means . . . . Continue Reading »
Synod-2019 cast in sharp relief the grave doctrinal and theological issues facing the Church. Continue Reading »
John XXIII knew that the Church’s evangelical mission would only meet the needs of the day if it were anchored in the ancient, abiding truths bequeathed to it. Continue Reading »
In this episode, George Weigel discusses his latest book, The Irony of Modern Catholic History: How the Church Rediscovered Itself and Challenged the Modern World to Reform. Continue Reading »
The mystery of the Trinity “by its darkness enlightens all things.” Continue Reading »
Through the twists and turns of its encounter with modernity, the Catholic Church has rediscovered the basic truth about itself. Continue Reading »
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 »
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