I have a new essay up on The Atlantic. Money quote: Perhaps the focus on atheism, as breathtaking has this issue has proven to be for the media and the blogosphere, misses the more powerful concept at the core of Francis’ homily: the culture of encounter. In the documents from the Second Vatican Council, as…
Today Pope Francis said the following: All people are called to do good and not evil, the pope said. Some would object, “‘but, Father, he isn’t Catholic so he can’t do good.’ Yes, he can. He must.” The idea that others cannot really be good and do good in the world creates “a wall that…
Yvonne Brill’s obituary. Deborah Kogan’s life in publishing. Or, why the publishers made her call her first book, “Shutterbabe.” Seanan McGuire’s response to being accused of too much self-promotion in regards to the Hugo Awards. She promoted herself once. But she’s a woman, so … What Disney Princesses really teach girls. Bratz. Underwear. Elizabeth Smart….
John 19:23 Vulgate – Milites ergo cum crucifixissent eum, acceperunt vestimenta ejus (et fecerunt quatuor partes, unicuique militi partem) et tunicam. Erat autem tunica inconsutilis, desuper contexta per totum. NIV – When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This…
I have a new essay up here. In it, I talk about the decision by Boston’s Archbishop, Cardinal O’Malley, to boycott the graduation of Boston College. BC is honoring Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who is sponsoring an abortion bill back home. I work through some of the reasoning and the potentially inconsistent (or at…
I’ve built this site for three reasons: 1. Publish pieces that I can’t publish somewhere else (particularly when needing to get a piece out before an event or news cycle). 2. Publish half-baked ideas that aren’t ready yet (and may never be ready), brainstorm on issues, organize and store data, and otherwise chat about interesting…
Theodicy is the theological practice of trying to make sense of why bad things happen to good people. It was coined by the famous German polymath Leibniz, but was a common practice throughout the history of medieval thought as well in various ways. I am working on an essay on the topic of American theodicy….