I am a sinner. That is the key for understanding Pope Francis. He tells us so at the very beginning of his interview with Antonio Spadaro, S.J., for Jesuit publications worldwide. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner. He is also, he says, a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon, and upon whom the Lord has had mercy. Sin and mercy are two of the key words emerging from the interview which, at over ten thousand words, offers us the best picture yet of the pope and provides a broader context for the words and gestures of his pontificate… . Continue Reading»
Both the mainstream and Christian press have reported that youth are fleeing Protestant Christian churches, and rapidly. Not true. In fact, young people are not leaving the church“or at least some churches. The Pew Forum commented in their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that the proportion of the population identifying with large mainline Protestant denominations has declined significantly in recent decades, while the proportion of Protestants identifying with the large evangelical denominations has increased … Continue Reading»
In these pages recently Stephen Webb suggested that the apostle Paul had stage fright. This would be remarkable, given his history of travelling throughout the Roman Empire speaking in many dangerous situations. But any reader of the Bible knows it is full of remarkable ironies. Such as the probability that Moses, arguably the greatest leader of Israel, was a stutterer… . Continue Reading»
The liberal journalist Peter Beinart and the conservative journalist Andrew Ferguson have both picked up on Ted Cruzs children of Reagan framing for a rising group of young conservative Republicans like Mike Lee, Rand Paul and, of course, Ted Cruz himself… . Continue Reading»
This past August, while contemplating the beauties of the Ottawa River from the deck of my familys cottage on Allumette Island, Father Raymond de Souza, the Canadian commentator and a former-student-become-friend-and-colleague, offered an interesting take on World Youth Day 2016, which will be held in Cracow. When you think about it, he said, the 20th century happened in Cracow … . Continue Reading»
Gary Krupp is the president of the Pave the Way Foundation, an organization whose main purpose is to break down the non-theological obstacles between religions, particularly the three Abrahamic faiths. Krupp has particularly contributed to Catholic-Jewish dialogue, and in 2000 Pope John Paul II knighted him Knights Commander to the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great… . Continue Reading»
The first and most important piece of a new pursuit of happiness agenda should restore equal opportunity to the first and most important institution of them all… . The institution that unites all Americans regardless of race, class, creed, or politics: the institution of the family… . Continue Reading »
Scholars have long noted the contrasting portraits in the Bible of the Apostle Pauls public speaking abilities. Acts depicts him as a bold and powerful rhetorician while Pauls own letters tell a dramatically different story. His letters are rhetorical gems, but he did not think he was a polished speaker. Paul presents himself as one best known for the hard work of organizing small groups of new Christians rather than for persuasive proclamations in open theaters and forums. The difference between these portraits is one major reason why many scholars doubt the historical validity of Acts. There is, however, a simple way to reconcile them… . Continue Reading»
There has been a spate of editorials and columns”even a book”criticizing Republicans in Congress for being radical, crazy, extremist, and focused on the GOP brand rather than on problem solving. Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornsteins 2012 book, Its Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism, exemplified and encouraged much of this criticism. Mann and Ornstein”both stolid fixtures of the Washington policy establishment”make the argument that the Republican Party bears unique responsibility for what ails Washington and the nation… . Continue Reading»
Ten years ago this month, Warren Zevon died and the world of music lost an extraordinary talent. Gifted and mercurial, Zevons tumultuous life often paralleled the self-destructive paths of other celebrities; and yet”in significant ways”also diverged sharply from them… . Continue Reading»