When thinking through the intersection of Catholicism and public policy, you begin to realize how deep and diverse the Church is. I write as a convert, raised in a Texas Southern Baptist household under the formidable and loving guidance of a family of deacons. There are many striking aspects of Catholicism for the former evangelical, including the realization that disagreement among Catholics is frequent, valid, and even desirable. Disagreement about public policy forces the serious person to think through the… Read more
May 20, 2007
A Metaphysical Critique of the Cultural Diversity Attitude
May 20, 2007 By voxnovablog
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During my last years as a graduate student at Saint Louis University, the university renovated its student center in which was to be found a chapel frequented by many students, oftentimes for a quick prayer between classes or even for a moment of Eucharistic adoration. As seems to be the rage at many Catholic universities and colleges these days, the chapel was demolished and replaced instead with a new multicultural center. In effect, university’s Catholic identity was reduced to only… Read more
May 19, 2007
Abortion – Show me the Money!
May 19, 2007 By voxnovablog
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Ready for a couple of simple statements?First — Stop all government money that finds its way to the abortion industry and the number of abortions will decrease.Second – but not dealt with in this post: Track back the funding for abortions and block it (with education, social pressure and legal means) and the number of abortions will decrease.Yes, I believe that it will be best when the laws finally change to protect the lives of our unborn babies. (The picture… Read more
May 19, 2007
Blessed Are The Poor
May 19, 2007 By voxnovablog
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When the Vatican issued its Instruction on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation,” many people misunderstood the intent of this document. They properly saw it as a critique of some Liberation Theologians. However, they mistakenly thought this meant that the Vatican, in its criticism of an improper use of Marxist thought in some Theologies of Liberation, that the Vatican opposed the guiding principles which established Liberation Theology. Understanding categories of social and economic thought in a binary fashion, they… Read more
May 19, 2007
Are Catholics Liberal or Conservative?
May 19, 2007 By voxnovablog
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I have to admit, I hate these two words in current American discourse. I keep thinking of Inigo Montoya in Princess Bride when he says: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” And it’s true, these terms have become catchall slogans to identify party allegiances rather than any underlying philosophy.For Catholicism is essentially conservative, in the true sense of the word. We start from the obedience of faith, meaning the “full… Read more
May 18, 2007
What Do Frances Kissling and Phyllis Schlafly Have in Common?
May 18, 2007 By voxnovablog
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Until recently, Frances Kissling was the president of Catholics for a Free Choice, a group claiming that a pro-abortion stance was somehow compatible with Catholicism. Sitting at the polar opposite of the political spectrum, Phyllis Schlafly is a right-wing icon. She founded the Eagle Forum, and was central to derailing the Equal Rights Amendment. Although a Catholic, her worldview owes more to a strong secular nationalist ideology, with shades of American exceptionalism. Schlafly is also a firm believer in the… Read more
May 18, 2007
Howard Zinn on families as “pockets of insurrection”
May 18, 2007 By voxnovablog
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In a chapter of his stunning A People’s History of the United States that discusses the rise of the women’s liberation movement in the 1970s, Howard Zinn writes:In the problem of women was the germ of a solution, not only for their oppression, but for everybody’s. The control of women in society was ingeniously effective. It was not done directly by the state. Instead, the family was used — men to control women, women to control children, all to be… Read more
May 18, 2007
Killing for Life
May 18, 2007 By voxnovablog
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It is not permissible to kill in order to impose a solution. – Pope John Paul IIAs a Catholic anarchist, I hope to be a disconcerting gurgle within the harmonious chords of Vox Nova. I believe that the Church is marching towards an entirely new understanding of itself and its Christ, or to put it more accurately – a more complete understanding of itself and its Christ.I want to start with a softball of a Catholic question – the death… Read more
May 18, 2007
I Am In Both Camps
May 18, 2007 By voxnovablog
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The other day at a Catholic school where my sister teaches, a student prayed “for the conversion of all liberals.” My sister asked after prayer, “Why on earth are you praying for the conversion of all liberals?” The student replied, “because they are in danger of hell.”My sister was exasperated when she told this story to me. I got a laugh out of it because we were raised in a similar background to that student. It has taken our adult… Read more
May 18, 2007
Misreading World War II, Misadventures in Iraq
May 18, 2007 By voxnovablog
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Those who defend the morality and legitimacy of military actions today inevitably point to the example of World War II. The story line is simple. Hitler was a monstrous evil that was swallowing up Europe. The allied campaign was a noble cause that ended the scourge of Nazism. This leads to a certain discomfort, if not outright disdain, for certain Church statements on matters of war and peace. For example, in a German media interview last summer, Pope Benedict said… Read more
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