One of Mark Shea’s memorable (if not eloquent) quotes is “Sin Makes You Stupid.” It’s another way of echoing St Paul’s wisdom in the first chapter of his epistle to the Romans 1 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a... Read more

My essay for Imaginative Conservative this week focuses on Tolkien’s driving force of providence behind his plot lines. While I feel Pippin’s pain, I have confidence, because like the omniscient one, I know how Lord of the Rings ends. I can see that Pippin and Merry’s capture was no mistake. Their ordeal brings them to Fangorn to meet Treebeard who brings about the downfall of Isengard. All Middle Earth’s a stage and all the men and hobbits merely players. Pippin too had... Read more

You may have seen the clip from Donald Trump’s rally where he said he wanted to punch a protester in the face. What disturbed me most about his bullying was not so much that he wanted to punch the guy, but that the crowd ate it up and roared their approval. The root problem was not the threat of violence but a theological and moral problem that is much deeper. Hilaire Belloc said “Every argument is a theological argument” and the... Read more

I was brought up very strictly in a Christian home. We didn’t go to movies. We didn’t go to dances. We didn’t smoke or drink. Heck, we weren’t even allowed to play cards because they were linked with gambling. Then some years ago I visited Detroit and my host took me out to lunch. Bob pulled up in his two seater Jaguar. Sixty-ish. Gold rings and necklace. Open neck shirt. Collar length white hair. “i’m Bob. Where do you want... Read more

My article for Aleteia this week recommends prayer for politicians. One of the charming things about being an Anglican were the petitions in the Book of Common Prayer for “HMQ” aka Her Majesty the Queen. How quaint and Queenly is this beautiful prayer? Almighty and everlasting God, we are taught by thy holy Word, that the hearts of kings are in thy rule and governance, and that thou dost dispose and turn them as it seemeth best to thy godly... Read more

As a convert you come across some unusual practices within the Catholic faith (said he, making the understatement of the year) One of them for me was to find that there was a feast day for a chair. What was I–poor Bob Jones graduate that I was–to make of such an odd celebration. There it was in the ordo as large as life–the Feast of the Chair of Peter. What was a feast for a chair and what was the... Read more

Is history repeating itself in a remarkable and disturbing way? Do you know what happened to the Roman Republic? First, did you know that the Roman Empire was preceded by a Republic? For about five hundred years just before the birth of  Christ Rome was governed by a Republic. It was not exactly like our democratic government in the United States, but similar enough. Two elected consuls ruled as executives advised by the Senate. The patricians were the wealthy, landed,... Read more

I have been astounded to receive emails and FB attacks from Catholics who side with Donald Trump against Pope Francis. That so many Americans have fallen in love with this loud mouthed, lying, bragging, adulterous con man is bad enough, but when I read that a good number of Evangelicals are swooning at his feet I am alarmed. I had thought better of them. However, when I read that my fellow Catholics–including priests and scholars–are taking sides with Trump versus... Read more

The Pope pops Trump Trump Dumps Pope. Has it occurred to anyone else that Donald Trump’s attack on Pope Francis has happened in South Carolina–a state not known (errmm) for its love of Catholics? After all, this is the state where the Bob Jones crowd protested the visit of John Paul II in 1987, and when Pope Paul VI died a certain famous fundamentalist said, ““Pope Paul VI, archpriest of Satan, a deceiver and an anti-Christ, has, like Judas, gone... Read more