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Theological Notebook: Articles on the Election of Pope Francis in the Conclave of 2013
Three news stories purporting to have inside information on the shape of the election of Pope Francis during the conclave of 2013. For whatever they're worth.
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Theological Notebook: The Opening of Vatican II Remembered
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Opening of the Second Vatican Council, an event that has rightly been called the major religious event of the 20th century, and which went a long way to restoring the thriving diversity of the ancient and medieval periods to the life of the Church, which was increasingly mired in early modern political forms ( Read more... ) -
Theological Notebook: NYT Op-Ed on the Decline of Liberal Christianity
I was honestly a bit surprised to find such a blunt appraisal in the New York Times this week. I've long been concerned by the destruction of diversity in the American religious sphere represented by the destruction of liberal Christianity, but it seemed to be impossible to convince such people that they had left the liberalism of the Niebuhrs, or ( Read more... ) -
Random: Reading the News or Reading Approved News?
In recent months, I've been interested to see some reports that have made me think some more about the power of the press to shape contemporary consciousness as to what is the news and how to perceive it. This thinking has been sometimes brought on, interestingly enough, by (what seems all too rare to me) stories that made it into the news cycle ( Read more... ) -
Random: WWII Coast Guard Hero Dies
Back when I was a kid, unknowingly lucky enough to be regularly wandering around a fabulous small-town library like the Oregon Public Library, one of the youth history books that I read about World War II (and there was an industry of such publishing in the 1950s and 60s) was focused on the exploits of the Coast Guard, and their now largely- ( Read more... ) -
Theological Notebook: Watching the UK Debate About Public Morality
Just wanted to copy a few columns or articles into the journal here. It has been interesting to watch this debate about ethics itself that's been happening in the UK since the riots. The number of writers drawing attention to the idea of public morality itself is interesting, particularly in a world of post-modern assumptions or dogma, where one ( Read more... ) -
Theological Notebook: NYT Article on Church in China
I haven't heard about persecution by the Chinese government getting much better, though I'd be happy if that were true. And pray God that no one ever sees the inside of these Chinese prisons and endure what's done to prisoners there. But I'm a bit alarmed to hear Cardinal Zen in Hong Kong use the word "war." That doesn't bode well ( Read more... ) -
Personal: On Fashion and the NYT Article on "Becoming One of the 'Relevant'"
Honestly, I cannot believe the drivel that gets published sometimes, even in The New York Times. I understand that fashion is a business, and that it changes, and that there are therefore inevitably significant business interests tied up and investing in driving those changes forward. But it seems kind of horrible to me - a tragedy, even - if ( Read more... ) -
Theological Notebook: Philosophy and "Relevance"
The temptation of "relevance," which today in academia, I'm afraid, is becoming more and more equivalent to "money making" and corporate ties, is addressed interestingly in this column from The New York Times by philosopher Justine E. H. Smith, particularly with regards to today's much-misunderstood discipline of philosophy. If the history of ( Read more... ) -
Personal: Before-After Satelite Photos of Japan
These before-and-after satellite shots of Japan provided by The New York Times are just overwhelming:http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html