Three Notes on Women Professors and Seminary
John Piper caused a bit of a kerfuffle on Christian Twitter the other day with a podcast episode in which he said that only men should teach at seminaries. Though much of the discussion that followed was both boring and...
Debating the Actual Crisis of Liberalism
Now that the dust has settled a bit on the Mortara debate prompted by Fr. Cessario at First Things, I want to ask a more general question about the state of play between the more radical anti-liberals in the religious conservative...
Mere Fidelity: Equality
And we are off and running! In our first show of the year, Derek, Alastair and Matt consider its theological dimensions and social uses of ‘equality.’ G If you like the show, please do leave us a review on iTunes. We...
Notes on Edgardo Mortara from a Protestant Onlooker
Last week First Things, as the colloquialism earthily says, stepped in it. The occasion for this unpleasantness was the publication of an essay by Romanus Cessario, O.P., arguing that the church was within its rights when Pope Pius IX abducted Edgardo Mortara,...
Prophetic Performers, Authenticity Acts, and the Need for Wisdom
Growing in wisdom involves growing in the discernment of who is wise, and who only parodies wisdom. While there are many ways to parody wisdom, two stand out in the age of the internet. At first glance they might seem...
If Anything Is Pro-Life, Nothing Is
“This is a pro-life issue.” By now you have probably heard this sentiment expressed about any number of issues that are not immediately related to abortion. Food stamps, taxes, healthcare—even immigration!—are designated as “pro-life” causes because they may in some...
The Problems Two Kingdoms Don’t Solve
By Simon Kennedy and Ben Saunders The church in the West is facing a significant cultural crisis. Aggressive secularisation and rapidly declining religious influence combine to bring a sense of despair in the Christian’s relationship with society. In the United...
The Politics of the Last Jedi
The following includes spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Right Hand Man,” the song in Hamilton that introduces the story’s protagonist to Gen. George Washington, he first tells the story of Hamilton’s daring theft of British cannons before...
Mere Fidelity: The Virgin Birth
In their final episode of the year, the whole cast considers the theological significance of the Virgin Birth. Thanks to all of you who have listened, commented, and contributed to the show this year. We are very grateful for your...
The 2017 Eliot Awards
For the longest time one of my favorite year-end rituals has been combing through David Brooks’s Sydney Award winners for the year to find which ones I’d missed and to re-read favorites from earlier in the year.

