mzi.msrcanzt.170x170-75

The Rights of Error and the Death of Tolerance

June 7, 2013 By 1 Comment

That's the title of my latest installment over at The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: Well, George Lewis told the Englishman, the Italian and the Jew “You can’t open your mind, boys To every conceivable point of view” – Bob  Dylan, “High Water (For Charley Patton),” 2001 Many years ago I was a guest on a national radio show to discuss one of my books. I forget which one, but I vividly remember an encounter I had with a listener who called the program. He was clearly upset that I was offering reasons for the sanctity of unborn human life, that I was explaining in … [Read More...]

RileyBeckwith

Riley Beckwith’s Valedictorian Address

June 3, 2013 By 1 Comment

My niece, Riley Jane Beckwith, as I have already noted, was named a National Merit Finalist, earned a full ride to the University of Dallas (beginning in Fall 2013), and is the 2013 Dayton High School valedictorian. What follows is the text of her valedictorian address, which she delivered in Dayton, Nevada on May 30, 2013: 2013 Dayton High School Valedictorian Address by Riley J. Beckwith The title of valedictorian demands that I give some sort of wisdom to the rest of my class, which is, frankly, a little selfish of you all. I think the number of whispered “Hey, Riley! What’s number … [Read More...]

My niece, Riley Beckwith, named National Merit Finalist, receives full ride to U. of Dallas, and is Dayton High School valedictorian.

May 29, 2013 By 1 Comment

I'm very proud of my niece, Riley Beckwith, who graduates tomorrow from Dayton High School (Nevada) as its valedictorian. Here's an article about her from this morning's Reno Gazette-Journal: Dayton High School senior Riley Beckwith has been named a National Merit Finalist Scholarship recipient, the most prestigious and highly competitive award given through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Beckwith, the Dayton High Class of 2013 Valedictorian, has also accepted the … [Read More...]

Imagine No Opposition; It’s Easy If You Try

May 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

That's the title of my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace --John Lennon, “Imagine” (1971) The late John Lennon implied in this famous tune that utopia requires the absence of real human differences and firm convictions, as if the communities, beliefs, and civil societies that arise from a free people are the enemy … [Read More...]

I’ve Joined the Faculty of the Envoy Institute’s Catholic Apologetics Academy

May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I am pleased to announce that yesterday I accepted an invitation to be on the faculty of the Catholic Apologetics Academy of the Envoy Institute. Included among my colleagues are Patrick Madrid (Envoy's president) and philosophers Edward Feser and Peter Kreeft. You can read more about CAA here. I anticipate that my lectures will focus on what I've been doing for most of my career as both a Protestant and a Catholic: discussing philosophical, social, and cultural issues in which once … [Read More...]

Giving the Banquet Keynote Address at the 2013 Napa Institute Conference, August 1-4

May 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

It is truly an honor to announce that I will be giving the banquet keynote address at the 2013 Napa Institute Conference.  According to the website: The Third Annual Napa Institute Conference will take place from Thursday, August 1 – Sunday, August 4, 2013 at the Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa, CA. In 2013, conference themes will include the Sanctity of Work, Building a Catholic Culture, and Reason & Faith. Speakers and Prelates in attendance for 2013 include: Archbishops José … [Read More...]

“Baylor University Scholar Francis Beckwith Will Speak at Vatican Educational Conference”

May 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

From Baylor media communications: WACO, Texas (April 22, 2013) -- Francis J. Beckwith, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy at Baylor University and Resident Scholar in Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion, will travel to Rome in mid-June to speak at The Celebration of Evangelium Vitae: Faithful to Life conference, sponsored by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. Beckwith is one of three speakers invited to speak at the event, to be held June … [Read More...]

Me v. Obama Shooting the Basketball? No Contest, Really.

April 1, 2013 By 2 Comments

The President, on Easter Sunday at the White House: Me, two weeks ago in my backyard sports court. (My wife, Frankie, is making commentary) We're roughly the same age. He was born in 1961, and I was born in 1960. He played high school basketball, and so did  I. Clearly, even then, I had better legs: … [Read More...]

« Previous Posts

The day I met Edith Schaeffer (1914-2013), and the note she penned to me.

April 1, 2013 By 5 Comments

On March 30, 2013, Edith Schaeffer died at the age of 98. Born on November 3, 1914, she was the widow of Francis A. Schaeffer.  (November 3 is my birthday as well).  In my book, Return to Rome: Confession of An Evangelical Catholic (Brazos Press, 2009), I tell of my encounter with Mrs. Schaeffer at a bookstore in New York City on April 29, 1986, when I was 25 years old: During my second year in New York City I had the opportunity to meet Edith Schaeffer, the widow of the Presbyterian … [Read More...]

Sic ‘em Francis: Baylor Student’s Papal Translation Project

March 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

One of our most gifted students at Baylor University, Emily Edmondson, has created a new blog, "The Papal Translation Project."  Emily, who is bilingual, has taken it upon herself to publish some of Pope Francis' works, including some of his homilies as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Monsignor Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J. Emily translated four of the six she has published so far.  You can find them all here. Emily also helps direct the RCIA class at St. Peter's Catholic Student Center at Baylor … [Read More...]

Alexander Pruss’ One Body: An Essay on Christian Sexual Ethics – 30% off

March 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

My esteemed colleague, Alexander Pruss, late last year published the book, One Body: An Essay on Christian Sexual Ethics (University of Notre Dame Press, 2012). I selected it as one of the best books I read in 2012.  If you have been looking for a philosophically sophisticated, though clearly written, presentation of Christian sexual ethics by a leading scholar in the field, one that has distinguished himself in the wider academic world, this is the book for you. Thus, I am delighted to draw … [Read More...]

On Confirmation: A Letter to Darby Beckwith

March 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

That's the title of my latest entry over at The Catholic Thing. This is how it is introduced: What follows is a letter from the author to his 16-year-old niece Darby Beckwith. She recently asked him to be her Confirmation sponsor. In his book, Return to Rome: Confessions of an Evangelical Catholic, he tells the story of when 8-year-old Darby called him in 2005 and asked why he and his wife, Frankie, were not Catholic. Two years later Darby’s aunt and uncle were received into the Catholic … [Read More...]

Habemus Papam Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis)

March 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

… [Read More...]

Habemus Papam Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini (Pope Paul VI)

March 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

… [Read More...]