Sherrard Billings, one of the three founders of Groton School—and the American Mr. Chips—did his part to develop good and wise habits among the “Grotties.” Through his own life of suffering, he taught them to how to live, pursue the truth, love the good, and pass on wisdom. The Groton School The New [...]
Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy i slava, i volia" ('Glory and Freedom of Ukraine has not yet Perished'), also known by its official title of "State Anthem of Ukraine" or by its shortened form "Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy," is the national anthem of Ukraine. It is one of the state symbols of the country. The lyrics [...]
When Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet regime as the “evil empire,” he was echoing Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who said the USSR was “the concentration of world evil.” From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitols of the ancient states [...]
As we have greatly miscalculated Russia’s sense of betrayal and alienation, Russia has greatly miscalculated Ukrainian tenacity and patriotism. But we have all already fallen into a no-win situation. It doesn’t matter how this ends, whether with the collapse or humiliation of Russia, or the incorporation of Ukraine into a larger federation of Slavic states—or [...]
In this time of renewed world strife, it might seem counter-intuitive or even irresponsible to argue that, more than ever, we need genuine old-fashioned liberal education whose ends are wisdom and virtue. Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last week stunned the world, but perhaps what ought to be truly stunning is that almost everyone, across [...]
I am told that the chief Rabbi of Ukraine has asked Christians to join him in reciting Psalm 31 for the beleaguered cities tonight, so I thought I would also post this poetic reflection on that harrowing and comforting psalm. Psalm 31 is one of those psalms that express best the paradox of the whole [...]
The English Romantic poets sought truth beyond the empirical and scientistic limits to which it had been confined by eighteenth-century rationalism. Insisting that truth could be found in transcendence, and especially in the transfiguring kiss of Beauty, these poets waxed lyrical in their praise of Creation, seeing it as a hymn of praise to the [...]
I Lars Porsena of Closium By the Nine Gods he swore That the great house of Tarquin Should suffer wrong no more. By the Nine Gods he swore it, And named a trysting day, And bade his messengers ride forth, East and west and south and north, To summon his array. II East and west [...]
Ash Wednesday Receive this cross of ash upon your brow, Brought from the burning of Palm Sunday’s cross. The forests of the world are burning now And you make late repentance for the loss. But all the trees of God would clap their hands The very stones themselves would shout and sing If you could [...]
Joseph T. Stuart shows us that the relationship between the Enlightenment and Christianity was not strictly one of opposition and conflict. Rather, the Enlightenment was a general program and set of ideas that influenced all sectors of life, including religion itself. Rethinking the Enlightenment: Faith in the Age of Reason, by Joseph T. Stuart (351 [...]
Christians wish to assert the truth that each person is a unique individual whose eternal worth and meaning is greater than his sexual inclinations or gender choices. Some time ago on social media I asked an honest question: Why was it incorrect to refer to African Americans as “colored people” but it was okay to [...]
The great past instructs the contemporary conscience. Obviously, playwright Robert Bolt was aware of the persecutions going on in fascist and communist regimes, and his Thomas More sees into the 20th century future and its need for martyrs. His More also anticipates the “wokeism” of the 21st century when the thoughts of our hearts increasingly [...]
St. Augustine observed, “To begin with, there never has been, nor, is there today, any absence of hostile foreign powers to provoke war.” Evil men lusting after power—aggressors—are endemic to human history, and noted Augustine, “When they go to war what they want is to make, if they can, their enemies their own, and then [...]
Russia’s leaders are flawed, inclined toward violence, and covetous of power—but this doesn’t make them much different from the leaders of every other nation-state. On March 10, 2014, American ambassadors from across the globe descended on Washington for our annual conference: a few days to forget about the day-to-day hassles of running embassies and coping [...]