Blurred Lines: (Theologically) Nothing is Sacred

Last updated on: December 31, 2013 at 12:37 pm By Artur Rosman

Let’s get back to the principles of Rabelaisian Catholicism. It all started with a post about the problem of the good (instead of evil), then one about the permanent pollution of Christianity with Greek philosophy, another one on the essential pagan additions to Catholic Christianity, and it made its last appearance in a post about David Bentley Hart’s contamination of the doctrine of God. Rabelaisian Catholicism posits that there nothing is outside the purview of Christianity, that pluralism and contamination is... Read more

Blessed are the Cheesecake Makers

Last updated on: December 28, 2013 at 10:33 am By Artur Rosman

Here’s a delicious story I spotted in my facebook newsfeed this morning: The brief AP account attached to this picture reads as follows: “A suburban Phoenix family says their Christmas cheesecake sent them the message of a holiday miracle. The Arizona Republic reports that when the family in Scottsdale, Ariz., pulled their dessert out of the oven, it cracked as it cooled and formed a crucifix. The family members, who have not given their names publicly, say the crucifix is... Read more

Christ-Vegas

Last updated on: December 26, 2013 at 11:56 am By Artur Rosman

We spent a wonderful traditional Polish Christmas with my parents this year. It included two days of two different twelve course meals. First fish then meat. Sometime during Christmas Eve the conversation turned to Christmas lights. We noticed how after 2008 the Griswold-level-lighting (GLL) has now pretty much disappeared. Yet, some stalwarts remain. There’s one cul-de-sac in Puyallup, WA that always looks like Christ-Vegas (Crosses, snowmen, Santanas, and all). Another has its own radio station and lights synchronized to the music.... Read more

TOP10: A Christmas Gift for Catholics from Wipf & Stock

Last updated on: December 24, 2014 at 12:19 pm By Artur Rosman

The transformation of Eerdmans, a mostly Calvinist publishing company from Grand Rapids, into a publisher of the highest quality Catholic books is a fascinating phenomenon that probably deserves at least an article from someone who knows the process from the inside. Eerdmans was founded in 1911. I still run across some of their books from the fifties and sixties that treat Catholics with the same consideration that Chick Tracts give Catholics. The transformation probably had something to do with David... Read more

G. Wolfe: Eat (Cath-L)it Already!

Last updated on: January 19, 2015 at 10:22 pm By Artur Rosman

I’ve done a fair share of writing on the fiction of a Catholic/Christian/Religious/(Whatever, so long as we manufacture something to regret) literary crisis here, here, and here. Dana Gioia recently joined the chorus of Cassandras such as Elie and Boyagoda. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the Gioia article for a while. To my tastes it piles on too many stereotypes about religious writing without actually gathering them into a comprehensible whole. Maybe I’ll come back to it sometime,... Read more

Christmas Carols from the DSM-5

Last updated on: December 21, 2013 at 11:58 am By Artur Rosman

Our kids have left a copy of Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death under the Christmas tree. The nice Protestant children doing Christian commercials on the seasonal station Spirit 105.3 in Seattle make it sound like Jesus plopped out of the womb already crucified. This means it’s time to emerge from my blog hibernation with a psychologically penetrating post. Here then are Christmas carols culled from the DSM-5. Don’t miss the links. In Advent calendar fashion they contain fun book surprises vaguely connected... Read more

The Strangest Thing in the Cosmos: Walker Percy

Last updated on: December 11, 2013 at 10:15 am By Artur Rosman

Communion and Liberation is a movement that’s been close to the heart of the last three popes. I’ve written about how the present pope has closely engaged the movement here. CL, as it’s affectionately known to its members, tends to put a lot of stress upon the educative (from the the Latin educere, to lead out, that is lead out of yourself) value of engagement with culture. It does so through inviting its members to plumb the spiritual richness of contemporary... Read more

Between the Icon and the Idol: What and Before Whom We Have Bowed?

Last updated on: December 9, 2013 at 10:54 am By Artur Rosman

Artur Mrówczyński-Van Allen is director of the Slavic Department at the International Center for the Study of the Christian Orient in Granada, Spain. He is Currently Professor at the Instituto de Filosofía “Edith Stein” and the Instituto de Teología “Lumen Gentium” (Granada), where he teaches Philosophy of History and Political Philosophy. He also has a remarkable new book out entitled Between the Iconand the Idol from the Cascade imprint at Wipf and Stock. Take a look at an excerpt from the... Read more

The Genealogy of Jesus Quintana: An Alternative Advent

Last updated on: December 7, 2013 at 11:34 am By Artur Rosman

The weekend is a time to dial things back a bit and let the rug tie the room together. Shomer Shabbos as John Turturro does all the work explaining the roots of his Big Lebowski character Jesus Quintana. A friend of mine (Colin shall remain unnamed) at Mundelein Seminary posted some Big Lebowski themed bowling photos last night. Given how the holidays have already been marred by not only those who are anti-Christmas, but also by those who are fighting... Read more

Von Balthasar: Into the Dark Advent with God

Last updated on: December 6, 2013 at 11:59 am By Artur Rosman

Something that happened a few days ago warmed my worried heart a bit. The University of Washington has highly visible smoking areas. The university puritanically reasons that the stigma of being on public display will discourage people from smoking on campus. It seems to have the opposite effect. Smokers congregate around these places as pariahs who exchange stories with their confreres. The episode that unfolded before me is one such exchange. It occurred between a middle class white science geek... Read more