Sacraments of Initiation or Affirmation?

Today in the First Things daily newsletter, we look into the controversy over a gay news anchor's confirmation, the historical roots of the right's anti-Semitism problem, how the “myth of genius” is itself a myth, and Hans Boersma joins the Editor's Desk podcast.

Sacraments of Initiation or Affirmation?

Anthony R. Lusvardi, S.J.

Last week, People magazine covered the confirmation of an openly gay news anchor. The interesting question here, writes Fr. Anthony Lusvardi, is not one of sexuality but of sacramentality. When Christianity dominated the culture, the sacraments of initiation did not require the same rigorous preparation as in the early Church. Now, the culture is closer to that of pre-Christian Rome, but the sacraments are offered as if the recipients will receive the same formation through the culture as they would have in medieval Europe. “It’s not working particularly well.”

For further reading: Fr. Lusvardi also examined this question in “Can Transsexuals Be Baptized?” (2025).

The Return of Old Lies

Carl R. Trueman

“The current resurgence of anti-Semitism is consonant with the broader cultural disposition to trample on anything held to be sacred by the previous generation,” Carl Trueman writes in his column. And the fact that it cannot be combatted with the old methods of free speech does not signal a more enlightened future.

For further reading: Trueman’s last column looked at “How Critical Theory Paved the Way for Nick Fuentes," the streamer whose anti-Semitic remarks have sparked a reckoning on the right.

Finest Pieces of Plastic

Richard Bratby

From the December issue: Today’s progressive milieu is uncomfortable with the idea of greatness and genius. This is clear in Atlantic writer Helen Lewis’ book The Genius Myth, reviewed by Richard Bratby. He writes, “Her thesis is that familiar progressive theory of Everything, that greatness is a socio-political construct.” But, “Ultimately, Anna Karenina is more interesting, and more important, than the question of whether Tolstoy’s private life would comply with twenty-first-century campus ethics.”

For further reading: Speaking of genius, some of the most obvious geniuses in art history have been men of immense faith. Bratby delved into Mozart’s reverence and spirituality in “Mozart’s God” (August/September 2024).