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The Trouble with Teaching Authority
While he thinks it unlikely and probably ruled out by the nature of the church, Ross Douthat worries that Pope Francis could be preparing the way for a major doctrinal shift on marriage and communion...
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Responding to Jimmy Carter’s Criticism of the All-Male Priesthood
When St. Thomas Aquinas argued that the female sex is an impediment to receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, i.e., becoming a priest or deacon, he cited the First Letter of Paul to Timothy, wherein...
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The Leadership of Pope Francis
A few years ago my wife taught art to children and adults, and she regularly employed the pedagogy of teaching the masters. Her students studied the works of famous artists to better understand the...
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The Irrational Logic of Christ
Christians don’t usually act like Christ. In one sense, this should be expected. Christian theology has Jesus Christ being fully man and fully God. Not everything he said and did would be appropriate...
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In Need of Your Modesty
In my high school days, half my life ago, I attended a few youth conferences organized by my church. As we participants were all concupiscent teens overrun with hormones and on short supply of...
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The Art of Spiritual Writing: A Q&A with Vinita Hampton Wright
For those of you who find spiritual writing personally rewarding and have an interest in crafting publishable material, I can think of no better guide throughout the process than The Art of Spiritual...
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On Knowing that God Exists
Can we know with certainty that God exists? This traditional mission priest says yes. Apparently upset with the recent talk higher up the hierarchy that atheists might just be on the good side of the...
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The Game of Interpreting the Pope
I’ve noticed among my fellow papists deep concern that Pope Francis, by shooting the breeze with journalists and chatting in informal and imprecise language, is risking the salvation of souls. They...
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Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt
I’m officially an author now. Today marks the release date of my book Living by Faith, Dwelling in Doubt, a reflective memoir about the uncertainty that came to rest at the heart of my religious faith...
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Atheism and Salvation
In response to an atheist writing in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Pope Francis urged those who do not believe in God to follow their own conscience: First of all, you ask if the God of the...
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Acting Freely under Force
Elizabeth Stoker argues that Christianity and libertarianism are incompatible systems due to their fundamentally different concerns, their ways of evaluating whether an action or principle is good or...
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A Primer for Philosophy and Education
Sam Rocha, former contributor to Vox Nova and now at Patheos, has written a wonderful primer on philosophy, education, and the relationship between the two. As the name suggests, the book serves as a...
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Living in Fear of Hell
From childhood through my teenage years and into college, whenever the topic of hell arose in conversation or whenever I was presented with some depiction of hellish torments, I would feel my heart...
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Priestly Authority and Service
Proponents of women’s ordination need to see the priesthood not as a job opportunity to exert authority within and onto the body of Christ, but as what it actually is, a vocation to be a servant to God...
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Why Do You Trust the Magisterium?
I have theory that my acceptance of the authority of the Magisterium–the teaching office of the church–requires not only that I believe in the divine establishment and guidance of this authority, but...
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Pope Francis Says There’s No Deep Theology of Women in the Church
In an interview with reporters, Pope Francis said we don’t have a deep theology of women in the church. The more I think about this statement, the more I am impressed by its radical critique of the...
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Religious Liberty Means Religious Privilege
So far two bakeries have faced legal challenges to their refusal to make wedding cakes for same-sex weddings. Opponents of same-sex marriage see these cases as the start of a fast approaching...
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The End of Absolute Sexual Morality
My friend Darwin observes: When trying to make-nice to conservatives, proponents of “same sex marriage” tend to emphasize it as a way of enshrining commitment and sexual morality. However, while this...
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The Development of Sex, Marriage, and Nature in Christian Thought
“To have intercourse without intending children is to violate nature, which we must take as our teacher.” – Clement of Alexandria Throughout many traditions of Christian thought, theologians have taken...
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The Dark of Faith: A Subtlety in Lumen Fidei
I’m still making my way through Lumen Fidei, the encyclical letter on faith that was begun by Pope Benedict XVI, finished by Pope Francis, and was released today. The encyclical, the title of which...
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