Over at First Things, George Weigel has written an excellent tribute to a man much beloved around here: Father James Schall. Father Schall is entirely incapable of blowing his own horn, so Weigel must do it for him: He is a deeply learned man, yet he wears his learning lightly. He looks the part of … Read more
News to warm my heart: Apparently, the hip, new thing is farming. CNN ran a short piece about educated young people who are turning in their Wall Street jobs and Ivy League credentials for the agrarian life. Roy Skeen, a 28-year old Yale graduate from Baltimore is one such example. A history major who also worked in finance, … Read more
Admittedly, I like Lady Gaga, or used to like her. She reminds me of a type of a younger Madonna – someone who is theatrical, a rule breaker, line crosser but talented and able to reinvent herself. Lately, however, her theatrics have become increasingly bizarre in a way that is following the trend toward … Read more
As hard as it is to express the truths about abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research to Democrats, it can be even harder to talk about homosexuality. Many people wrongly equate opposition to same-sex marriage with opposition to racial equality during the civil-rights movement, applying the emotional power of race issues to homosexuality. The … Read more
You’ve probably seen this story: The Alliance Defense Fund is suing Augusta University in Georgia on behalf of Jennifer Keeton, a 24 year old Masters in Counseling student. She has been ordered by the university to change her beliefs or be kicked out of their program. Keeton expressed her Christian views in classes at times, … Read more
When Pope Benedict deplanes in Great Britain, he should probably wear a gas mask, and keep it on all through his visit. Sure, it might mar his public appearances, making the Vicar of Christ seem even more alien than he already does, on an island whose sense of national identity was formed in large part … Read more
Please check out this article, at First Things, entitled “The Kids Are Not All Right.” The gist is that a movie has been made depicting the outcome when the children of lesbian couples who conceived by artificial insemination from an anonymous donor encounter their no-longer anonymous dads. Two things in this situation are clear: 1. … Read more
Was Elizabeth Scalia — known to all as The Anchoress — the first writer to question the Shirley Sherrod story? Richard Hyfler of Forbes says yes, and adds that she’s the only one who emerged from the imbroglio looking good. When Andrew Breitbart released his heavily edited video — and most of us assumed it … Read more
Over on his newly launched blog, Michael Brendan Dougherty comments on children’s author Philip Pullman and his latest attempt to deconstruct Christianity. In his new book The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, Pullman follows a well-trod path by excising any reference to the miraculous in the Gospel accounts, leaving a Jesus who resembles … Read more
Man’s inborn religious instinct tells him that there is more than the sensible world; indeed, it “never feels natural to accept only natural things,” as Chesterton said. But about the afterlife we have more than just an intuitive inkling. Throughout history there have been manifestations — some vague, others more concrete — to support this … Read more
From time to time, I like to think nostalgically back to those days when the “silly season” of political campaigning was actually just a season — rather than the year-round, “all-day/every-day” media construct we are plagued with nowadays. From time to time, I am also reminded that this “charming” nostalgia of mine is probably more … Read more
Few saints are remembered in art, but those who are tend to appear with frequency. In their representations, these holy figures have come to be associated with some characteristic symbols… St. Peter with the keys Jesus gave him, St. Paul with the sword that killed him, and so on. In this piece, I’ve focused on … Read more
Because IC went offline last Friday while we worked on the redesign, I wasn’t able to post my usual Friday morning link round-up. (I know, it was hard for me, too.) One of the articles I had lined up that I didn’t want to go unmentioned was this excellent series from Emily Bazelon at Slate … Read more
Well, I’m home from Rome, and as always, the transition has been slightly bumpy. There are things that smooth it out – like when my niece Isabella randomly hugged me with all her little might and said, “I love you.” But there are things I don’t like so much… and one of them is noticing … Read more
Tolu Ogunlesi at 3 Quarks Daily wrote a fascinating piece yesterday called, “Five Things You Didn’t Know About Africa.” It’s short… and worth a read. Here’s a snippet: Ever heard of the Rift Valley? It’s the place in East Africa where scientists tell us humans first learned to walk on two feet, and from where … Read more
Commenter H.D.W. (7th comment down) wisely suggested a “Do It Yourself” approach to Distributism: To make economies more centered on individuals and families, work to make your household a place of value creation. This is both powerful and satisfying. Gardening, homeschooling, raising chickens, caring for elderly parents, shopping at the farmers market, fixing your own … Read more
Last week, I had an earache. You nod briefly. Okay. Duly noted. Earache. Can we get on to the article? I reply, “You don’t get it. Last week, I had an earache.” I don’t mean, “Little twingy pain, like a headache or a sore toe.” I mean, “Worst and most excruciating pain I have felt … Read more
Like Steve, I can’t wait to start familiarizing myself with the new IC blogging interface. Maybe I should say “couldn’t wait.” I got about 37% through Brian’s exceedingly helpful “Blogging Tutorial” before striking out on my own. And striking out. I kept uploading pictures (I thought), and then being unable to find them. I think … Read more
One wonders, did the Romans (the old pagan Romans) know that they were done for? I am thinking of the third and fourth centuries, when the markers of civilizational decline were all around them, and yet life went on. That famous Goth Alaric had not yet trashed the Eternal City, nor Attila shaken it with … Read more
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Steve Skojec, and you might remember me from such blogs as: Inside Catholic, or even, if you didn’t loathe every thought I committed to writing, my old blog at SteveSkojec.com (it’s now the site for my as-yet-in-the-idea-phase photography business, about to undergo changes of its own soon, … Read more