Reformation Day Ironies, 500th Anniversary Edition

This year, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, I’ve decided to do another round of “Reformation Day Ironies.” This year’s theme is “Luther against the Reformation,” looking at the various ways that Martin Luther spoke against the Reformation he helped to spark, including what he had to say on the papacy, teaching authority, and schism.

A Timely Reminder

Pope Pius XI

“The Church founded by the Redeemer is one, the same for all races and all nations. Beneath her dome, as beneath the vault of heaven, there is but one country for all nations and tongues; there is room for the development of every quality, advantage, task and vocation which God the Creator and Savior has… Continue reading A Timely Reminder

Leonard Cohen, the Christ-Haunted

Among the singer-songwriters who emerged in the latter part of the 1960s, Leonard Cohen was something of an oddity: a musician with a disdain for secularism and a respect (and a yearning) for religion in general, and Jesus Christ in particular.

Wait for the Lord: Learning from Judith, Anna and Simeon

Giovanni Bellini, The Presentation in the Temple (1499)

In the face of a political and personal future that often seems uncertain or unpleasant, it’s easy to lose heart and to despair of God’s presence in our lives. Fortunately, Scripture presents a radically different message. Here’s what Judith, Simeon and Anna have to show us about aligning our lives to God’s timetable, instead of trusting in secular salvation.

Do Democratic Presidencies Reduce the Abortion Rate?

A popular progressive political argument is that the only truly pro-life choice is to vote Democratic. After all, the argument goes, even if said Democrats are vocally “pro-choice,” they’re also pro-social net, and the presence of a social net prevents women from feeling like they “need” abortion. During Republican administrations, in contrast. social nets get slashed, pregnant women feel more desperate (and less capable of caring for the children with which they’re pregnant), and abortion goes up. It’s an interesting theory, but is it true?

Abbot Christian de Chergé on Islam and Terrorism

The awful terrorist attacks unfolding right now in Paris recall for me the martyrdom, at the hands of Islamic extremists, of a group of French monks living in Algeria. The abbot of those monks prepared for his death with a shocking, thought-provoking “Last Testament.” It’s worth the read.