The Oct. 11 sentencing of former prime minister and Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko to seven years in prison may or may not stand. Miss Tymoshenko has appealed the sentence and several western governments, including the Obama administration, have lodged stiff protests over Tymoshenko’s prosecution with the government of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich. But irrespective of Miss Tymoshenko’s legal fate, a marker has been laid down… . Continue Reading»
I remember so well the founding days of the Institute on Religion and Democracy. We were such a small and humble organization, so few of us, so lightly funded. Yet we had strong hearts, bold ambitions, and lots and lots of good information. As anyone can guess, Richard John Neuhaus was the leading spirit, the intellectual guide. He was still a Lutheran then and loved to nail manifestoes on Cathedral doors, so he nailed up the founding manifesto of IRD, telling how the key democratic ideas of human dignity, equality, fraternity, and liberty flowed from Christian roots and Christian understandings… . Continue Reading»
We are slowly losing our sense of religious liberty in America. There is much evidence to suggest that our society no longer values the public role of religion or recognizes the importance of religious freedom as a basic right. As scholars like Harvard’s Mary Ann Glendon and Michael Sandel have observed, our courts and government agencies increasingly treat the right to hold and express religious beliefs as only one of many private lifestyle options. And, they observe, this right is often “trumped” in the face of challenges from competing rights or interests deemed to be more important… . Continue Reading»
It’s not money that’s the root of all evil; it’s tenure. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but in her latest book, The Faculty Lounges (Ivan R. Dee), Naomi Schaefer Riley argues that eliminating tenure presents the most promising first step for the reform of our colleges and universities. It’s the “game changer for American higher education.” What is the real significance of tenure? … Continue Reading»
Derived from the Greeks, the contrast between the contemplative and active life early on became a Christian commonplace. It was systematized by Thomas Aquinas, who regarded the distinction as both “fitting” and “adequate.” Fitting, because each human being, as a rational being, occupies himself with what is most delightful to him, whether that is the pursuit of knowledge or a life of active service. Adequate, because Jacob had two wives and no more, and Lazarus had only two sisters… . Continue Reading»
In the wake of the New York Legislature’s decision to pass the so-called “Marriage Equality Act,” there has been a renewed discussion among homosexual activists over whether they really ought to be pursuing an institution historically rife with “heterosexual” values such as exclusivity, fidelity, commitment, and monogamy. “I felt pretty ambivalent, I have to say,” said one celebrant, who a CNN reporter described as a “cross-dresser,” about the New York vote … Continue Reading»
I remember a discussion that took place awhile back at the Brazoria County Advisory Board concerning slogans that might be used to promote hospice. One slogan proposed was: “Hospice - It’s about life.” I suggested: “A good life deserves a good death.” My memory is aging along with the rest of me, but, as I recall, the consensus was that any slogan that contained the ‘d-word’ would be a turn-off. We needed to stress life, not remind people that they were dying. But, I submit, death is precisely what hospice care is about… . Continue Reading»
The liberal critics of George W. Bush were right about one thing: The President did help usher in a theocracy. The reason the progressives didn’t seem to notice”or seem to care”was that the theocracy wasn’t being lead by Dominionists in Idaho but rather by Islamicists in Kabul. It was, in other words, a genuine theocracy, the kind that never seems to bother them. But in 2004 those of us who prize freedom of religion had reason to be concerned… . Continue Reading»
The Evangelical Church in Germany is a theological muddle, being a federation of Lutheran, Prussian Union, and Reformed (or Calvinist) Protestant communities. Still, it must have been a moving moment when the Council of this federation met with Pope Benedict XVI last month in the chapter hall of the former Augustinian priory at Erfurt: the place where Martin Luther had studied theology, had been ordained a priest, and had, as the Pope put it, thought with “deep passion” about one great question: “How do I receive the grace of God?” … Continue Reading»
A few years ago, in the midst of his diaconate studies, a friend was invited by a small parish group to discuss the journey that for him had been one of immense joy, albeit filled with hard work, fear, and wonder. In the middle of his talk, he was interrupted by a woman who could not wait for the discussion period. She took deep umbrage at the fact that this man could be ordained, while she”a woman with an advanced degree and “just as many credentials” as he “and more than some priests!” was not “offered the same option.” … Continue Reading»
