The Archive

Every essay.

Matthew LoftusArt

tara isabella burton, "the destroyer"

A short story by Tara Isabella Burton about science, the body, and love.

Matthew LoftusFeaturedSexuality

Moral Formation and Sexual Abuse, Part II: Learning to love what is good by loving one another

In part two of his essay on the sexual abuse revelations Matt Loftus discusses what can be done to create a safer public square for women.

Matthew LoftusArt

my neighbor totoro

A lot of kids' entertainment is like Doritos. My Neighbor Totoro is like a fresh strawberry.

Matthew Loftus

science should be more political, not less

Looking at the Ebola epidemic and vaccines as examples of how to better promulgate science by acknowledging its political implications.

Jake MeadorCurrent Politics

In Defense of Josh Hawley

Josh Hawley's remarks about the sexual revolution are fairly banal and similar to an extremely common view that exists across the political spectrum.

Matthew LoftusFeaturedSexuality

Moral Formation and Sexual Abuse Pt. 1: The Problem, How We Make It Worse, and How We Can't Make It Better

Matt Loftus describes the origins of our abuse crisis and explains why many of the conventional answers, including religious answers, are inadequate.

Matthew LoftusCulture

farewell to facebook

I'm leaving Facebook. But don't worry, you will still have many opportunities to hear my opinions.

Matthew LoftusCulture

choosing our limitations

If we want to get the benefits of community, we'll have to experience its limitations.

Matthew LoftusCriminal Justice

How the plea deal sausage gets made

Justin Fenton digs deep into Baltimore's reception court, where 93% of felony convictions in Baltimore are made.

Matthew Lee AndersonMere Fidelity

Book Club: Confessions, Book VI

Matt, Alastair and Derek consider book 6 of Augustine's Confessions. If you like the show, please do leave us a review on iTunes. We are also available on

Matthew Loftusandrewosenga

Andrew Osenga, "The Painted Desert"

This year, I’m hoping to keep this blog more active with short posts about stories and essays I’ve been reading, but I also want to share more music. I love writing and listening to music and there’s a lot of […]

Jake Meador

Book Review: Confident Pluralism by John Inazu

Inazu's book offers a compelling case for the legal norms needed in a pluralistic society, but it isn't, as some have said, a hopeful alternative to Dreher.