Finally, it seems that Democrats are getting their act together and starting to discuss the immigration issue in the Senate. Read more
Finally, it seems that Democrats are getting their act together and starting to discuss the immigration issue in the Senate. Read more
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
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
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... Read more
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
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... Read more
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
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... Read more
It is not permissible to kill in order to impose a solution. – Pope John Paul II As 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 –... Read more
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... Read more
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