When a life-or-death crisis landed Paul Weyrich in the hospital, the conservative patriarch found himself plugged in medically, but unplugged from newspapers, talk radio and the Internet. There was a television in his room, but he didn’t watch in July. It didn’t matter. The same mediastorm was raging when he left the hospital as when he went in. The buzz was all Chandra Levy, all the time. When the medical staff heard he was politically connected, people started asking him... Read more

In the beginning was Eru, the One, who also was called Iluvatar. “And he made first the … Holy Ones, who were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad.” This “Great Music” went out “into the Void, and it was not void.” But something went wrong. The greatest archangel, Melkor (“He who... Read more

The aging patriarch’s hands and voice shook, but his moral vision was solid as a rock. America’s pilgrim president sat solemnly while Pope John Paul II waded into the tense debate over stem-cell research. This week’s summit produced images that White House strategists hope will linger in the minds of Catholic voters, long after the divisive details have faded. “A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any... Read more

Creekside Church visitor cards contain all the data slots and questions one would expect at a seeker-friendly establishment in a wired Colorado suburb. Newcomers can inquire about salvation, baptism, the Bible, youth activities or private concerns. A visitor may share his or her age, marital status and kid statistics. The candid can review the quality of the service. Next to a telephone number, a visitor can provide a home email address, a work email address and then another email address... Read more

Han Dongfang’s passport says Hong Kong, but his voice says Beijing railway worker. When mainland listeners hear Han on Radio Free Asia, they can tell that he spent years riding the rails, seeing first-hand the trials of workers across China. He sounds like a man who has suffered on the inside, even if theauthorities now force him to live on the outside. “In China you can tell the truth or you can tell the lie,” said Han, who in 1989... Read more

The salesman at the electronics superstore smiled broadly, but his eyes revealed that he thought I was some kind of religious nut. What we have here is a failure to communicate. No matter what, I could not get him to realize that my needs were quite simple. As a journalist, I wanted several news channels and my family likes old movies. What I wanted was a digital system that connected a satellite mini-dish to my television. “No problem,” he said,... Read more

The Anglican Communion’s civil war has flared up again, with more headlines about sex, sin and schism. Colorado was the front lines last week, when archbishops from Southeast Asia and Rwanda invaded Episcopal Church territory to lead rites consecrating four additional missionary bishops for America. Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey asked if they were aware “that action of this kind takes you perilously close to creating a new group of churches at odds with the See of Canterbury and the... Read more

As lunch ended in the ornate U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee conference room, Sen. Jesse Helms struggled to stand and bid farewell to the guest of honor. Bono stayed at the conservative patriarch’s right hand, doing what he could to help. For the photographers, it would have been hard to imagine a stranger image than this delicate dance between the aging senator and the rock superstar. “You know, I love you,” Helms said softly. The singer gave the 79-year-old Helms... Read more

As the boy grew to become a man, he explored the marble chambers that pump power into American politics. He worked as an intern. He rode the private subway that whisks legislators to the Capitol. He took his share of power lunches. Finally, he decided that his vocation was in a higher court. “One day it hit me,” said Father Paul Scalia. “To save things, it is going to take more than a really good Supreme Court decision. Good thing,... Read more

Every Sunday, countless Christians around the world recite an ancient prayer that begins: “I believe, O Lord, and I confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, Who did come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Anyone who can say that last phrase without a mental pause isn’t paying attention. The tendency is to do a few quick mental calculations in which one’s sins are contrasted with those of, let’s... Read more