Christian physicist Stephen M. Barr, of the University of Deleware and a frequent contributor to First Things, wrote with some other scientists a paper on the Higgs field–an aspect of the so-called “God particle”–that is getting new attention in light of the collider that has
One of the tornadoes that hit the Oklahoma City area on Friday was the widest ever recorded at 2.6 miles. It was rated an EF5, which is the very top of the tornado scale. Nine days earlier, another EF5 had hit Moore, an Oklahoma City
Well, we are getting back to normal now. Our ill-fated road trip is over, and we are back home. The funeral for my father was more like the second kind of funeral I posted about. It was good to see so many old friends and
Many years ago, I read The Idea of the Holy by the Lutheran phenomenologist Rudolph Otto. This book profoundly influenced C. S. Lewis, who writes about it in Surprised by Joy, and I have to say that it also influenced me. Touchstone Magazine has published
It takes a warrant for the police to search your house or tap your phone. But not to record and keep track of your DNA. So ruled the Supreme Court yesterday. The Constitution’s protections against “unreasonable search and seizure” do not apply to your genetic
In the United Kingdom, gay marriage has passed the House of Commons and is now being considered by the House of Lords. The Church of England, despite its reputation for theological liberalism, is opposing the measure. I was struck by what the new Archbishop of
Southern Baptists are currently embroiled in a controversy over “Calvinist Baptists.” David Koyzis and Collin Garbarino over at the First Things blog are asking if there can be Calvinist Baptists, why can’t there be “Lutheran Baptists”? After all, Lutherans were flexible about allowing different kinds
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (not to be confused with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, or other more conservative Lutheran bodies) has elected its first openly gay bishop, the
Oklahoma City and surrounding communities were struck by multiple tornadoes Friday night, killing nine people. This was only 11 days after an EF-5 tornado hit Moore (a southern suburb of OKC). We were in northeast Oklahoma, a long way from the tornadoes that made the
How I dreaded the “visitation.” Having to see my father’s dead body. Having to meet and greet well-wishers while being in a highly emotional state. What a horrible ordeal this is going to be, I thought. And yet, the visitation on Thursday night was strangely
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