For the early Christians, living in societies that were at best indifferent to Christianity and frequently hostile, the challenge was how to survive without compromising the faith. During the time of persecution, Christians would find it often impossible to be true to Jesus and accommodate the . . . . Continue Reading »
In the November issue of First Things, Joseph Bottum wrote, “The weakest set of candidates in living memory has taken the field, and we still have more than a year left of watching these people, lumbering and blumbering toward the goal line.”I thought it wrong at the time, for the dark . . . . Continue Reading »
This week, the school-voucher referendum went down to a crushing defeat in Utah. It was a very ambitious proposal, covering absolutely everyone. Some supporters thought it too ambitious. In any event, the state and national teachers unions, plus other public-employee unions, predictably poured tons . . . . Continue Reading »
For some time now, I’ve been reading Bill Bryson’s terrific 2003 book, A Short History of Nearly Everything . (You should interpret "some time" to mean "a pretty long time," because not only is this a hefty-sized book, it’s also about science.) In his . . . . Continue Reading »
Some people believe that the Catholic novel is either dead or terminally ill. In 1982, one critic referred to his book on the Catholic novel as an " elegy for an apparently dying form, " and two years later another wrote that " the religious or spiritual novel is in some sense only a . . . . Continue Reading »
A story in the New York Times explains that, in Germany, the government fixes the prices at which books are sold, meaning that, for any given book, every bookseller in Germany must sell the book at the government-determined price.The Times columnist can’t quite conceal his admiration. "If . . . . Continue Reading »
On Saturday, November 10, at Gotham Hall in New York City, The Economist magazine will sponsor a debate that should be of great interest to our readers.The proposition: “Religion and politics should always be kept separate.”The participants:Barry Lynn and Irshad Manji (for the . . . . Continue Reading »
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest decoration for bravery during combat operations. The president presents the medal in the name of Congress to a member of the military who has "distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and . . . . Continue Reading »
On most of the questions of public policy we debate today¯even many important ones¯there is no Catholic position. Rather, faithful Catholics may reasonably reach different judgments and vigorously promote them over the alternatives. No particular view can be said to be uniquely in line . . . . Continue Reading »
Chick flicks are the caramel-lattés of romantic comedy¯sweet and frothy, without much nutritional value. Chick flicks reheat the Cinderella story and serve it up with topping for a cozy evening: Boy meets girl, complications ensue, love saves the day¯and in the end, the stepsisters . . . . Continue Reading »
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