I am currently enjoying the book Anti-Americanism by Jean-Francois Revel. On a number of levels, the book is a shrewd diagnosis of the various emotional European pathologies that masquerade as insightful analysis of the United States. Revel is not addressing those who, for various reasons, want to critique America (which is not only fine, but …
Trent Lott’s Gaffe
Dear visionaries, The price of true diversity is eternal vigilance. After all our striving for inclusivity in this forum, I am astounded that we still have folks making judgmental comments on the ethical choices of others. If Cardinal Law, after deep reflection in his own conscience, decides that chickenhawk priests are the way to go, …
Faithful in a Little
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 35 Jesus teaches us that if we are faithful in little, we will be able to be faithful over much (Luke 19:17). Someone who was a slouch as a teen-ager with his paper route is likely to be a slouch …
Never Wrong or Sometimes Right?
There is a certain kind of dogmatic personality that is incapable of admitting error. Most all of us have an acquaintance or relative or two that fits the category. Everything is spun, everything is fashioned, everything turns out in such a way as to confirm what he was saying all along. In biblical terms, the …
More on the Shroud
The Shroud stuff continues to chug along on merrily. Response from all over has certainly been noteworthy. The web site now has a new FAQ feature, where folks can satisfy their curiosity about medieval glass manufacturing capacity and such like. Look at the bottom of the “About” column.
Catholicity or Mush?
All Christians are called to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But before we charge off to do this, we need to distinguish between catholicity and mush. A catholic or ecumenical spirit is not an optional add-on extra. But there is a vast difference between Christians who love each other …
Against Philosophy
As I have been pursuing this little postmodern jag of mine, reading folks I wouldn’t ordinarily read, I have been struck with how much postmodernists share in common with the modernity they think they are rejecting. Shared assumptions leap off the page, invisible both to them and their modernist targets. Here are some obvious shared …
The Shroud of Turin: Toward a Mystery Solved
To come right to the point, I believe that my son, Nathan Wilson, has figured out how the Shroud of Turin was originally made, and he has duplicated the feat on the roof of the New St. Andrews building (although, we confess, the building is not currently zoned for Shroud duplications). He figured it out …
Sun Dogs
Driving north through brittle air, bright sun behind us. Snow on the ground, as cold as it gets here. Crystal motes float everywhere, an infinite number suspended, cold children of Abraham. Behind my wife and me, and rising straight up, ascending to glory, a straight rainbow, a rainbow unbowed-a rainbow unbent, and three times too …
The Scots/Irish
Just finished reading Born Fighting by James Webb, a book with tremendous explanatory power. It is a history of the Scots and Scots/Irish from their early conflict with the Romans, to the times of William Wallace, to the settlement of Protestants in Ireland, and then to the great migration to America. The latter half of …