This Week's Reading, Archive

Friday, December 24th:John Allen's column at NCR, always of interest. And (NYT story) Our Lady of Good Help, in Wisconsin, is declared an official site of a Marian apparition, the first in the U.S.
Wednesday, December 22nd:Joe Carter at First Things, on "Being on God's Side." Also, reviewing a book by Samuel Moyn, John Gray discusses the history of the notion of "universal human rights" in The National Interest.
Monday, December 20th:

Jonathan Day, guesting at PrayTell, on Vatican II: "Heirarchy or Social Network?" NCR's John Allen and blogger Rocco Palmo, on Benedict XIV's Christmas message.Friday, December 17th: Mark Lilla, "Obama and the passions," NYTMagazine.
Wednesday, December 15th:
Fritz Bauerschmidt, on obedience and liturgy at PrayTellBlog.
Tuesday, December 14th:
"What is Marriage?," Girgis, George and Anderson in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Quick rebuttal at Slate by Kenji Yoshino.
Friday, December 10th:
argh...Lisa Miller, Time, "One Nation Under God."
Wednesday, December 8th:Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Mary wants us to deal with the real future...PrayTellBlog posts a scholarly article on demographic trends for the U.S.
Tuesday, December 7th:
Now with a weekly column at NCR, the award-winning Jamie Manson, "To Attract Youth, Bishops Must Admit Vulnerabilities."
Monday, December 6th:
Ross Douthat, NYTimes, "The Changing Culture War."
Sunday, December 5th:
Ok, this is completely off-topic, but really made me think about paradigm change...NYTimes Magazine, Michael Sokolove, "Speed-Freak Football."
Wednesday, November 17th:William Saletan, at Slate on the "Magenta" Princeton abortion conference: "Abortion Common Ground: A Pro-Life Agenda." And a pro-choice agenda.
Monday, November 15th:
Ted Koppel on "the death of real news." His larger point is right, but MSNBC is not Fox, so let's stop equating them to look "neutral."
Saturday, November 13th:
Chris Gabbard, Chronicle of Higher Education, "A Life Beyond Reason" [h/t: aldaily.com]
Tuesday, November 9th:Thursday, November 4th: The award-winning David Gibson, Politics Daily, "The Demise of Pro-Life Democrats: Be Careful What You Pray For."
Monday, October 25th: When are motorcycles Catholic? When they make the world work... Tina Rosenberg and David Bornstein, "Health care and the art of motorcycle maintenance," NYTimes.
Friday-Saturday-Sunday: NYTimes book essays: Jonathan Alter, "The State of Liberalism," and Christopher Caldwell, "The State of Conservatism."
Tues-Thurs, October 19-21:
Read this: Peter Steinfels, Commonweal, "Further Adrift: The American Church's Crisis of Attrition."
Monday, October 18th:
Atlantic wire has a round-up: "Why the Left Doesn't Get the Tea-Party." Check it out.
Sunday, October 17th:Boston Globe, Sunday Ideas section, Keith O'Brien on "The Empathy Deficit."
Saturday, October 16th:
In the Washington Post, Kimberly Winston writes about Catholic satirist Stephen Colbert: "Under the shtick, a quiet devotion." NYTimes Mag also hits Thursday's aging theme: Ted C. Fishman, "As populations age, a chance for younger nations." And finally, did you know that today is World Food Day?
Thursday, October 14th:
Phillip Longman, "Global Aging" Foreign Policy
Wednesday, October 13th:
Theodore Darlymple, "Do we all want freedom?" Axess [h/t: aldaily.com]
Tuesday, October 12th:
Benedict XVI, on the insidious power of "anonymous capital," via Rocco.
Monday, October 11th: Gregory Rodriguez, LA Times, "Undocumented Workers: Essential but Unwanted." [h/t: Atlantic wire]
Sat-Sun, October 9th-10th:
John Allen, National Catholic Reporter, "Beyond a 'Darth Vader' View of Secularism."
Wednesday, October 6th: Read both... Politico reports on the heartbreak of trying to be an anti-abortion Democrat, and one pastor speaks out against the political manipulations of a Minnesota archbishop.
Monday, October 4th:
David Gibson, "Conservative Christians Tackle Divorce, the 'Other' Marriage Crisis," Politics Daily.
Sunday, October 3rd:
DiNoia's homily from today's Red Mass, in D.C., "Light Immortal/Light Divine," via NCR.
Friday, October 1st:
David Gerlernter, "Liturgy Against the Laws of Physics," at Big Questions Online.
Thursday, September 30th:
Read me! Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker, "The Revolution will not be Tweeted."
Wednesday, September 29th:
On the decline in church attendance in mainline Christianity, from The Christian Century.
Tuesday, September 28th:
A new Pew Forum poll on who knows religion and who doesn't. The Atlantic Wire does a round-up. And we always check the response at GetReligion, yes?
Saturday, September 24th:Kwame Anthony Appiah, Washington Post,"What will future generations condemn us for?"
Thursday, September 23rd:
Matt Bai on the rising weird factor in Connecticut politics (who ARE these people?), from the upcoming Times Magazine... "The Great Connecticut-Country-Club Crackup."
Wednesday, September 22nd:
In "Too Many Hamburgers?" Thomas Friedman of the New York Timesmy system." And Ruth Marcus, WaPo, "From Wal-mart moms: tough love for President Obama," is worth a read.Wednesday, September 15th:Fr. Gerry Blaszczak, SJ, Fairfield's University Chaplain, to the entering class at convocation: "You and I are to Become Global Citizens."
Tuesday, September 14th:
Andrew Sullivan, "Heart Speaks to Heart," on his own experience growing up Catholic in the UK, on the eve of the Pope's visit, when he will beatify John Henry Cardinal Newman.
Monday, September 13th:
On sacred art: First Thing's "On the Square" blog, Matthew Milliner, "Raphael Among the People."
Saturday, September 11th:Fr. James Martin, S.J., from 1 October 2001, in America magazine: "The Laying Down of Life."
Wednesday, September 7th:
On the future of religion in the U.S.: Mark Silk, Patheos, "Religion by Choice."
Monday, September 6th:
Science and Religion read: NYT, "The Stone" blog, Tim Crane, "Mystery and Evidence."Must-read: James Martin, S.J. is not taking any #@&% -- "Glen Beck and Liberation Theology," America blog. Also, on the 60th anniversary of Humani Generis, John Farrell, "Catholics and the Evolving Cosmos," Wall Street Journal [h/t: andrewsullivan.com].
Thursday, August 26th:
NYT's Ross Douthat makes an important point here: "Imam Rauf and Moderate Islam."
Friday, August 20th:  SF Examiner, David DeCosse, "Build the Mosque." Foreign Policy, Parag Khanna, in "Beyond City Limits," finds that "The age of nations is over. The new urban age has begun" [h/t: NYTimes, Idea of the Day blog].
Tuesday, August 17th:
Because it's funny. And seems kind of blog-relevant. Jessi Klein, at The Daily Beast, "I Refuse to Freeze My Eggs!"
Monday, August 16th:
Peter Steinfels reviews Tony Judt's last book, Ill Fares the Land, in Commonweal. An obituary, of sorts.
Sat-Sun, August 14-15:
John Allen fills out the picture (National Catholic Reporter) with "Why Rome scorns resignations" as does Eamon Duffy (Tablet) with "Where Truth and Beauty Meet [Understanding Benedict 7]."
Friday, August 13th: From the London Review of Books, Colm Tóibín, "Among the Flutters" [h/t: aldaily].
Tuesday, August 10th:
More on Douthat: Mark Silk, Andrew Sullivan.
Monday, August 9th:
Ross Douthat, NYTimes, "The Marriage Ideal." Some responses to Douthat, via Erik Hayden at the Atlantic wire.
Sunday, August 8th:
The Economist, on 'the fate of Catholic Europe,' and Matt Bai, New York Times, "I'm American. And you?"
Friday, July 16th: Ian Brennan, of the show "Glee," on being Catholic, "Raking Leaves, Racked with Skepticism," from Busted Halo.
Monday, July 12th:
Joe Keohane, Boston Globe, Ideas section, "How Facts Backfire...a surprising threat to democracy: our brains."
Special must-read, in honor of the Feast of St. Benedict! Liturgist Diana Macalintal celebrates the church at prayer, as she reflects on her experience at St. John's, in Collegeville, Minnesota.
Sunday, July 11th:
Dana Milbank, Washington Post, "Headless bodies and other immigration tall tales in Arizona."
Saturday, July 10th: John Allen, National Catholic Reporter, "Obama and Benedict: a partnership delayed, but not yet denied." 
Saturday, July 3: Jeb Bush and Robert D. Putnam, Washington Post, "A Better Welcome for Our Nation's Immigrants." And, in a similar there's-hope-for-the-center vein, Jonathan Rauch, NYTimes, "A 'Kagan Doctrine' on Gay Marriage." On the other hand, Sandhya Somashekhar, Washington Post, "GOP targets anti-abortion Democrats who backed health care overhaul." Deep sigh.
Thursday, July 1st:
Peter Steinfels kicked off a lively conversation at the Commonweal blog yesterday with "Is the Church finished?"
Wednesday, June 30th:
Ron Rosenbaum takes on the tiresome "New Atheists" in "An Agnostic Manifesto" (Slate).
Tuesday, June 29th:
Mona Charen writes about the Orszag debacle and our continuing double standard in the National Review Online [h/t: AtlanticWire].
Monday, June 28th:
Noah Feldman, NYTimes, on the twilight of the WASP, "Unlike almost every other dominant ethnic, racial or religious group in world history, white Protestants have ceded their socioeconomic power by hewing voluntarily to the values of merit and inclusion, values now shared broadly by Americans of different backgrounds. The decline of the Protestant elite is actually its greatest triumph."
Tuesday, June 22nd:David Gibson notes an interesting development: the iPhone doesn't do porn.
Wednesday, June 9th:
Carl Dennis, poetry, in The New Yorker, "A Maxim." But also, James Carroll at NCR, "Mandatory celibacy at the heart of what's wrong."
Tuesday, June 8th:
John Tierney, "Daring to Discuss Women in Science," NYTimes -- daring isn't the issue, John, just don't be a jerk...
Monday, June 7th:
On the evolving attitudes toward gays and lesbians: Charles Blow, NYTimes and Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post.
Sunday, June 6th:
Caitlin Flanagan on the hook up culture, The Atlantic, "Love, Actually," [h/t: NYTimes]
Fri-Sat, May 28-29th:Naomi Cahn and June Carbone, "How Church Shopping is Polarizing the Country," CNN [h/t: Commonweal blog]Tuesday, May 25th:Two important short pieces in the NYTimes: Roger Cohen, "Toilets and Cellphones" and David Brooks, "Two Theories of Change."
Sunday, May 23rd:
Pentecost: Come, Holy Spirit!
Two on a recent issue: David Gibson at Politics Daily, "Nun Excommunicated for Abortion Decision to Save Mother's Life," and Michael Liccione at First Things, "Excommunicating Intentions."
Friday, May 21st:
Mary Eberstadt, First Things, "The Weight of Smut."
Thursday, May 20th:
David Gibson summarizes the situation in Hingham, on admission of the children of same-sex couples to Catholic schools, in the Commonweal blog.
Wednesday, May 19th:
"Reading and unreading the Gospel," Adam Gopnik asks "What Did Jesus Do?" in The New Yorker.
Monday, May 17th:

Sharon G. Hadary, Wall Street Journal, "Why are Women-Owned Firms Smaller than Men-Owned Ones?"
Sunday, May 16th:Two from the Washington Post: Jonathan Altar's The Promise, on the first year of the Obama presidency, reviewed by Matthew Dallek, and Laura Wattenberg, "Your Baby is Unique, but Her Name Isn't."  
Saturday, May 15th:Heads up. Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic, on Sarah Palin, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Grizzly Moms, and Hanna Rosin, Slate, "Is the Tea Party a Feminist Movement?"  
Friday, May 14th:Mano Singham, "The New War Between Science and Religion," Chronicle Review.  
Thursday, May 13th:David B. Hart, in the First Things blog, on the New Atheism,"Believe It or Not."  
Wednesday, May 12th: Melvin Konner, The Chronicle Review, "How Childhood has Evolved."
 Tuesday, May 11th:
Dan Gilgoff, CNN, "A Supreme Court Without Protestants?"
Monday, May 10th:
From Ideas at Boston.com, John Allen on the Vatican's agenda, and Ross Douthat, NYTimes, on the role of abortion in "Red Family, Blue Family."Sunday, May 9th:  Bart Stupak, in Time, writes about "Health Care Hell," in which the USCCB just says no. And a NYTimes story about Catholics struggling to go on, and Rev. Robert Bowers, the priest who listens to them.
Saturday, May 8th: "Death and the Dishwasher" -- Leon Wieseltier, in The New Republic, reviews Making Toast: a Family Story, Roger Rosenblatt's short memoir about coping after an unexpected death.
Wednesday, May 5th:  A Catholic thing? Reiham Salam, New America Foundation, "The Future of Facebook."
Tuesday, May 4th:
Michelle Goldberg, The American Prospect, "What the Pill Gave Birth To." Stanley Fish, New York Times blog, "When is a Cross a Cross?"
Saturday, May 1st:Catherine Pepinster, The TabletPragmatists and Fools."
Friday, April 30th: Julia Turner, at
Slate, on the value of hand-drawn maps [aldaily]. Rachel Donadio, NYTimes, "In Abuse Crisis, a Church is Pitted Against Society and Itself."Tuesday, April 13th:Part 2/2: Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter, "How Fr. Maciel Built His Empire."
Monday, April 12th:
Read this. Ross Douthat, NYTimes columnist, "The Better Pope."
Sat-Sun, April 10-11th:
Weekend reading: I was very discouraged to see how Bart Stupak was treated, in the wake of his work on health care (full disclosure -- my father hailed from "the U.P."). David Gibson, in Politics Daily, comments: "Bart Stupak's Departure: The End of Pro-Life Democrats?"  Also, an interesting take on Flannery O'Connor has appeared in Commentary (h/t: aldaily): Terry Teachout, "Believing in Flannery O'Connor."
Thursday, April 8th: Tell me it's not about the money. Please. Jason Berry, National Catholic Reporter, "Money Paved the Way for Maciel's Influence in the Vatican," Pt. 1/2. TMatt comments.
Wednesday, April 7th: Nina Totenberg, NPR, "Supreme Court May Soon Lack Protestant Justices." Yeah, I think it's an issue [h/t andrewsullivan.com].