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Oppenheimer and the Last Great America

The last major director we have is Christopher Nolan. As you watch his movies, you think about what it means for there to be masters of the art: people who seem to know the tools of the art so well that they are in complete control of what they’re doing, yet when you see their work, you can hardly tell how they did it. Continue Reading...

Identity Politics Is All That’s Left

In a series of academic books, George Hawley has proven himself to be a thoughtful writer and thinker on American politics and its disputatious conservative and progressive elements. He is also that rare breed in contemporary academia who generally takes seriously and credibly conservative arguments on a range of issues, even those dealing with the most controversial of subjects. Continue Reading...

What Good Is a Christian Alternative Without Christ?

My last entry in this series on the compassionate conservatism movement concluded with a question: Would John DiIulio, head of the George W. Bush administration’s faith-based office, insist that religion-based programs, to be eligible for federal grants, be devoid of religious teaching or evangelism? Continue Reading...

Is Mere ‘Tolerance’ Intolerable?

Berlin is a city saturated with history. Everywhere—on every corner, in every park, behind every wall and in every building—one stumbles on a piece of that which once was, scattered by the wind of time and silently reminding the indifferent faces of the weight of the past. Continue Reading...

Who Is a Libertarian?

In their new book, The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi have created an exhaustive and fascinating history of the libertarian movement and its animating philosophies. Continue Reading...

The “National Apostasy” of John Keble

From the 1830s onward, a movement developed in the Church of England that sought to reclaim a classic High Church tradition within Anglicanism that gave weight to the apostolic succession, sacraments, the Christian year and festivals, and liturgical order. Continue Reading...

Sound of Freedom Is a Clarion Call for More Christians in the Arts

This year’s Fourth of July moviegoing experience was a surprise. The top draw at the box office was not a feel-good blockbuster but a thriller about child sex trafficking. It’s called Sound of Freedom and stars Jim Caviezel, of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ fame and the Jonathan Nolan AI-and-vigilantes CBS series Person of Interest. Continue Reading...

The Forever (Catholic) Philosophy

If you are looking for an accessible introduction to philosophy in the Catholic tradition, James M. Jacobs’ new book, Seat of Wisdom, is a great place to begin. To be sure, any entrance into philosophy takes patience and hard thinking, and Jacobs’ book is no exception, but anyone willing to put forth the effort will surely gain a richer understanding of reality and the meaning of human existence—and human rights. Continue Reading...

A Win for Religious Employees

As it turns out, the Supreme Court last week opted against transforming the United States into a totalitarian, theocratic hellscape like the New York Times’ Linda Greenhouse had prophesied in January. Continue Reading...