The internet (and the Pope) are discussing the Lord's Prayer plea that God "not lead us into temptation" which brings up the obvious question: why would God lead us into temptation—is it a trap? It's not a new question, and, when our monthly spiritual reading bookclub picked up Tertullian, Cyprian, And Origen On The Lord's Prayer, Origen… Read More
My Favorite Books of 2017
Nonfiction about prisoners and dead bodies, just one work of fiction (alas!) about tiny dragons, lunar tipplers, and attack oragami. These were my favorite books I read for the first time this year, or, technicallyDec 2016-Nov 2017. I like to put the list together a little early each year, in the hopes of getting some… Read More
Consent isn’t the Opposite of Louis C.K.
Consent, as the primary criterion for sexual ethics, thinks too small. The careful, consent-seeking lover seeks to use his own strength correctly and responsibly. If a lover of this type finds that his strength is a little too daunting, a little too hard to wield cautiously, the solution is to find ways to limit his… Read More
The Friedmans’ Crypto Dinner Parties
Several years ago, I read William and Elizebeth Friedman's The Shakespeare Ciphers Examined and had a blast. Two crypto experts, in their spare time from beating the Nazis, wrote a witty, elegant guide to why most conspiracy theories about Shakespeare's true identity are wrong (and they teach you a lot of the logic of crypto along… Read More
The Dangers of Keeping Sorrow Secret
Douthat’s column suggest that it’s a mistake to assume that misery is always an imposition, something that can’t be “anything but terrifying.” If nothing else, he writes, sharing misery is a kind of truth-telling. The more pressure we feel to keep it private, the more warped our view of the world becomes. [...] Sharing sorrow… Read More
Destroying Marriage, a Diptych
From the New York Times, a feature on the new Argentine trend of throwing fake weddings to enjoy the spectacle and the celebration. In case there was any doubt, as the couple (hired actors) left the stage, colored lights flashed, the disc jockey started the music pumping, and the announcement was made to the paying guests:… Read More
Speaking in St Paul on my conversion and better fights
I'm in St. Paul, Minnesota this weekend, to speak to the Cathedral of St. Paul's class of RCIA students, and to give two talks open to the public as part of the First Saturdays program. The Cathedral offers the First Saturday gatherings as "mini-retreats in accord with Our Lady’s instruction at Fatima, designed to foster… Read More
Why Do Weinsteins Flourish?
I joined Julia Yost on the First Things podcast to talk about my article "How Vulgarity Normalizes Predators" and how abusers like Weinstein have an easier time hiding their abuse in plain sight when we accept moderate sexual harassment as just the way things are. You can listen to the full episode here. I'm the… Read More
Fare Forward returns, with me on New Stoicism
Fare Forward, the Christian journal of ideas, is returning to print this December with a special edition. I have a feature on New Stoicism, with particular emphasis on Ryan Holiday (The Obstacle is the Way) and Massimo Pigliucci (How to be a Stoic) The magazine will also include: Matthew Loftus and Brandon McGinley (author of The… Read More
Wizards and the Wounds of the World at Doxacon
I had the pleasure of being the keynote speaker at Doxacon (a scifi/fantasy + theology conference). I got to speak about the different kinds of magic on display in Diane Duane's Young Wizards series and Lev Grossman's The Magicians trilogy. And I managed to find an excuse to bring up Matthew Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft, too.Diane Duane's Young… Read More