Betsy DeVos and the Bishops

by Thomas G. Guarino

Betsy DeVos is reforming the process for handling campus rape accusations. The Dallas Charter—the guidelines for dealing with priestly sexual abuse—is in similar need of reform. Continue Reading »

8 Dec 2017

A Meditation on “Maranatha”

by George Weigel

In Advent, the Church ardently prays the ancient Aramaic Maranatha—“Come, Lord Jesus!”—in the sure confidence that the Lord’s return in glory means the fulfillment of history. Continue Reading »

6 Dec 2017

Our Claim on God’s Mercy

by Thomas Petri, O.P.

Regardless of the dark winter about to descend, Advent reminds us that God will keep us firm to the end and that we have been called to fellowship with Jesus Christ. Continue Reading »

5 Dec 2017

Letters

by Various

CONTEMPT OF COURT James Nuechterlein (“Remembering Peter Berger,” October) feels that the 1996 First Things symposium on the judicial usurpation of politics was inappropriate because it cast doubts on the legitimacy of American political order. As it is, however, the problem is still with us. If . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Big Mullah

by Randy Boyagoda

2084: The End of the World by boualem sansal translated by alison anderson europa editions, 240 pages, $17 Sleep soundly, good people, everything is sheer falsehood, and the rest is under control.” So begins Boualem Sansal’s new novel, 2084. The author, an Algerian secularist, has . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Our Secular Theodicy

by Matthew Rose

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 »

1 Dec 2017

The Florentine Pietà

by Catesby Leigh

In the late 1540s, an aging Michelangelo embarked on what he intended to be his culminating sculptural work, commonly known as the Florentine Pietà. Still heavily tasked with official commissions—foremost among them the rebuilding of St. Peter’s—and sometimes incapacitated by . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

Döllinger’s Unquiet Grave

by Grant Kaplan

The Pope and the Professor:  Pius IX, Ignaz von Döllinger, and the Quandary of the Modern Age by thomas howardoxford, 312 pages, $45 John Henry Newman aside, Ignaz von Döllinger (1799–1890) was the greatest Catholic theologian of the nineteenth century. He came of age amid a golden . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

The Christian Way

by Evangelicals and Catholics Together

Christians freely obey Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. “Come,” he beckons, “follow me.” Being a Christian requires more than intellectual or moral agreement with Christian teachings. Christ asks for our love and loyalty. Following him requires conversion, which leads to membership in . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017

He Went There

by John Lukacs

He was not a refugee, not an immigrant, not a displaced person. Or, rather: yes and no. When he and I became close friends, he once said to me: “Sometimes Americans ask, ‘When did you come to this country?’ I did not come to America; I went there.” And if he was asked . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Dec 2017