Most of us are by now aware that Fred Phelps, Sr. has died. In his role as pastor of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church Mr. Phelps has been widely vilified, and his death even eagerly anticipated. Over at TJP’s main site, and in light of Mr. Phelps death, Jason Welle asks how deep our call to love our enemies runs. Many people would like to see Fred Phelps, Sr. dead. More, they’d like him to suffer while he dies. He, along... Read more
At the main TJP site, we have an exclusive excerpt from Fr. James Martin, SJ’s new Jesus: A Pilgrimage, released today: As I stood under the broiling sun, I was gobsmacked to see rocks, thorns and fertile ground. No one planted the thorn bushes, carted in topsoil or arranged the stones to make the locale look as it did in Jesus’s time, as if we were in a theme park called Jesus Land. They were just there. It dawned on me... Read more
There’s an excellent new piece by Daniel Burke up at CNN’s Belief blog, “How to really measure the ‘Francis effect’.” (Full disclosure: I was interviewed along with some other Jesuits for the piece, and am briefly quoted in it — but don’t let that count against it. It really is a great piece.) Despite the immense popularity the aged Argentine has won since his election last year, not a jot of doctrine has changed, nor has the Catholic Church swelled... Read more
Over the past few days more than a few friends of mine have been passing around a link to an article with the following link-baity title: “This Insane New App Will Allow You To Read Novels In Under 90 Minutes.” (more…) Read more
"The New Atheism isn’t right. It’s not even wrong." What do we learn if we stop meeting the New Atheism with apologetics and arguments, and instead ask why so many people want to have a reason to reject belief? Read more
Are comments boxes worth the trouble? Or are they just near occasions for the sins of uncharity and despair? (more…) Read more
And turns out, I’m not the only American guilty of solipsism in ecclesiastical matters. In fact, I’m hard pressed to find a commentator who doesn’t mention those “hot button” western cultural issues, and even more hard pressed to find any who seriously contend with Pope Francis qua churchman-from-the-global-south. (more…) Read more
“I was ready to be an atheist. I was going to be a Catholic or an atheist.” In a recent column, David Brooks cites these words of Catholic singer-songwriter Audrey Assad as illustrative of what religious commitment feels like from the inside. “A Catholic or an atheist.” (more…) Read more
First off, apologies for being late to the party (and not in a cool way). Being a newly ordained priest, it’s taken me some time to catch up with the conversation. Second off, I’m an adult pseudo-convert myself (received the early sacraments, confirmed as an Episcopalian, reversion via RCIA in college in order to be a Jesuit), so that certainly affects my opinion. Third off, good on you, Joanne McPortland. I’m with you, and mainly because of this kind of... Read more
Late last week, the Society of Jesus — and indeed, the Church — lost one of its great scholars of the past half-century. More than that, it lost one of its great teachers and priests. Ideally, seminaries are seed beds that yield abundant crops of ministers to broadcast the Good News. For this to happen, the seed of the Gospel must be sown in the hearts of those people who aspire to become ministers, whether lay or ordained. Seminaries are... Read more
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