[NOTE: The discussion on the previous version of this post went wildly astray, which was mostly my fault. Apologies. I will be very closely monitoring any future comments on this version of the post. Please keep all comments focused on the topic of the post. Comments that, in my judgment, are too far off topic will be deleted without being approved, including discussions about the legal correctness or incorrectness of the verdict, or comments whose purpose is to redefine the... Read more
Rory Cooney, on his blog Gentle Reign, published the following comment from a friend of his: In some ways, I see this attraction to the Tridentine (rite) as a rejection of the messiness of incarnation. The idea that we’re celebrating the Mass that Jesus said, untouched by 2000 years of history. The idea that “the Mass is the same, no matter where you go” avoids dealing with the particular culture and history and quirkiness of whatever physical place one happens... Read more
Prominent Protestant theologian Stanley Hauerwas recently penned a provcative piece on the end of American Protestantism. Hauerwas writes argues that American Protestantism is dying precisely because of its success. America is the first instance of Protestant society not having to overcome and grow out of a Catholic culture and history. Thus he sees the U.S. as “synthesis of evangelical Protestantism, republican political ideology and commonsense moral reasoning. Americans were able to synthesize these antithetical traditions by making their faith in... Read more
When man fell, the world fell with us. Or perhaps, armed with science, we can say that the reverse is true: evolution could only produce beings like ourselves — self-serving creatures that survive through murderous violence. Life subsists by dealing death and consuming the dead. (more…) Read more
“All politicians take their decisions on the basis of national or political interest and explain them in terms of altruism.” –Abba Eban The ongoing crisis in Syria, especially in relation to the mounting speculations and now certainty of U.S. involvement, has been prompting a spate of comparisons to last decade’s debacle du jour in Iraq. I find the emerging parallels disconcerting on at least two levels. First of all, this foreign policy deja-vu demonstrates a chronic failure of imagination, specifically... Read more
Christian love demands that we wish and pray for the eternal salvation of every human soul, however improbable. That includes the souls of men like Kermit Gosnell, Timothy McVeigh, Osama bin Laden, and the Nazis justly hanged at Nuremburg. This wholesome wish has nothing to do with whether or not we favor their deaths. — John Zmirak, “When Justice Demands the Hangman” (First Things) I just love this quote. It has untold depths of hatred within it — layer after... Read more
I recently decide to start a systematic reading of the primary sources on the life of St. Francis. To guide me, I picked up a copy of a workbook by Br. William Hugo, OFM Cap, Studying the Life of Francis of Assisi, A Beginner’s Workbook. I don’t think I’m a beginner since I’ve read everything Francis himself wrote and large chunks of the early biographies (albeit piecemeal), but I have thought about using this book for Franciscan formation, so I... Read more
The opposite of elitism is democracy. Discuss. Read more
Answer: Yes. Discuss. Read more
(Updated 6/28/2013, 2:45 EDT) Health and Human Services today released the new rules on the birth control mandate under the Affordable Care Act. A good summary was provided by the New York Times: Under the rule issued on Friday, the government said that certain “religious employers” — primarily houses of worship — may exclude contraceptive coverage from their health plans for employees and their dependents. In effect, they will be exempt from the federal requirement to provide contraceptive coverage. (more…) Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In