New, sanitized editions of Mark Twain’s classic novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” airbrush out offensive or racist language. But should words that are offensive or potentially offensive to modern readers be removed from great books? Totalitarian regimes have certain traits in common, irrespective of whether they are considered “socialist,” “national socialist,” “fascist,” or “communist.” One [...]
Roland Freudenstein and I both claim to desire “the renaissance of the West,” but there is a world of difference and an eternity of distance between Mr. Freudenstein’s understanding of what constitutes “the West” and mine. I had the privilege and the pleasure of being a panelist during a public debate in Budapest on the [...]
There are three golden rules which need to be followed if we, as individuals, are to be effective in resisting the Plutocrat-Democrat monstrosity. The three rules are based on the two great commandments of Christ that we love the Lord our God and that we love our neighbour. Any resistance which is not founded on [...]
Prompted to compose his marvelous tour de force, “The Wreck of the Deutschland,” after reading the report of a shipwreck off the coast of England, the priest-poet Gerard Manley Hopkins gives one of the most profound and penetrating meditations on the mystery of suffering. The mystery of suffering, or the problem of pain as C.S. Lewis [...]
In “The Lord of the Rings,” the One Ring and the One Sin are symbolic similitudes. As the One Ring is “unmade” on Mount Doom, so the One Sin is “unmade” on the hill of Golgotha, the place of the skull. Therefore, if the Ring is synonymous with sin in general and Original Sin in [...]
The authentic definition of “ecumenical” has nothing to do with the modern understanding of “ecumenism,” which appears to be the willingness to dilute or delete doctrine in pursuit of a perceived unity among disparate groups of believers. Being ecumenical is being evangelical, whereas the new-fangled word ecumenism is the failure to evangelize. It is important [...]
Chivalrous and self-effacing in a completely genuine and unconscious way, Thomas Howard was a bona fide gentleman, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. He was a walking witness of all that is good and gracious in life, serving as a tacit reminder of goodness, truth, and beauty. Thomas Howard When Thomas Howard [...]
The anti-religious spirit of modernity is so antagonistic to the idea of a unifying truth that it prefers a meaningless education to an education informed by the underlying meaning inherent in the truth-claims of religion or philosophy. And this, according to G.K. Chesterton, is not really education at all. “It is typical of our time,” [...]
I disagree on certain points with two literary giants, Dante and John Milton. Though unworthy to follow in their literary footsteps, I feel nonetheless that even giants are fallible. Is it possible to argue without quarreling? G.K. Chesterton thought so and did so. He said of his relationship with his brother that they were always [...]
Which way is heaven? For those of us who are keen to get there, this is an important question; indeed, a crucial one. Do we look up at the twinkling stars, wondering what they are in childlike contemplation? Is this assent to the innocence of wonder the ascent to heaven, or the necessary prerequisite for [...]
Even though it is not easy, and often impossible, to make our enemies our friends, it is nonetheless true that there is no other way of making our enemies our friends except by loving them. Any honest soul in genuine pursuit of the truth is a friend of mine. Three unsolicited e-mails, received in the [...]
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas two of my great loves sent to me a couple of great meditations on the mystery of the Nativity. The first and better-known meditation is by T.S. Eliot, whose “Journey of the Magi” places the poet in the entourage of the Three Wise Men as they journey to Bethlehem. [...]
The end of the world is nigh. It is this ultimate reality which should animate and motivate us. The devil might be able to hang us before he hangs himself, but he can’t deprive us of the resurrection which will separate us from his clutches forever. As the old year ends and the new year [...]
As we begin this covidious New Year, we should ponder certain questions with great care: Is “staying safe” really so important that we embrace slavery? If it is really a choice between safety or serfdom, which should we choose? Generally speaking, I have avoided commenting publicly on the current pandemic and the political and cultural [...]