Death in Venice
In the summer of 1575, plague struck Venice. The city fathers tried to stem the contamination by requiring crews suspected of infection to stay on the island of Lazzaretto for forty days. These quaranta giorni are the origin of the...
“Divine Humility,” with Dr. Matthew Wilcoxen
God is all-powerful. God is all-knowing. God is ever-present. But is God humble? Dr. Matthew Wilcoxen joins Derek and Alastair to discuss his recent book, Divine Humility: God’s Morally Perfect Being. Listen in as he traces the theme of a...
Executive Orders Don’t Make Buildings Beautiful
A draft executive order has recently riled up the architectural community. Entitled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,” it points out the ugliness in a number of modern architectural movements and calls for a return to classical and other traditional styles...
Dwyane Wade’s Selective Essentialism
Dwyane Wade’s enthusiasm for his child’s gender transition offers a fascinating example of transgender ideology’s selective performativity. Wade’s 12-year-old son, born Zion, recently announced he wanted to be referred to as a “she.” During an appearance on Ellen, Wade discussed...
“The Lord’s Prayer,” with Dr. Wesley Hill
How do we pray to our Father? Dr. Wesley Hill joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to discuss his latest book, The Lord’s Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father. Is the prayer an exact model or more of a...
The Key Question for the Sanders Campaign
Last night Bernie Sanders, unsurprisingly, won the New Hampshire primary. FiveThirtyEight now gives him a 38% of winning the Democratic nomination—his leading rival, at this point, is a brokered convention, which the site gives a 33% chance of happening. Prior...
Why Churches Need Artists
My church is accustomed to download a work of art corresponding to the sermon or the liturgical season and to print it on the bulletin. (This is something I love.) But, recently, we “discovered” a painter who had lived for...
“Science and The Good,” with Dr. Paul Nedelisky
Can science tell us how we should live or why we should be good and not evil? Paul Nedelisky joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to explore these questions and discuss his latest book (co-written with James Davidson Hunter), Science and...
A Hidden Life According to Neil Postman
What is it that makes Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life so starkly unique and beautifully profound? To answer this question, let’s start by considering literature. Great literature attempts to encapsulate the beauty and hardship of life and its relation to...
Star of the Sea
I have a weakness for verses about Mary and the sea. There is that line from Eliot, that bit of the Dry Salvages, when he asks the lady, whose shrine stands on the promontory to pray for all those who...