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February 27, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Matthew J. Franck: The Bookshelf: In Praise of University Presses—and of One in Particular

In general, readers and book lovers are not terribly interested in who publishes the books we read. We admire a well–made book—good paper, a pleasing The Bookshelf: In Praise of University Presses—and of One in Particular February 27, 2021 | by Matthew J. Franck …

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February 26, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Lyman Stone: Child Allowances Reduce Abortion

Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) recently advanced a deficit-neutral proposal to replace the current Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit, an Child Allowances Reduce Abortion February 26, 2021 | by Lyman Stone One feature of Mitt Romney’s Child Allowance …

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February 25, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Antony Davies: Why Not Have a Bunch of Kids?

My wife and I have many kids. We didn’t plan to have many kids. It just sort of happened. After our fifth child was born, a friend asked my wife how m Why Not Have a Bunch of Kids? February 25, 2021 | by Antony Davies Humans are, hands down, the single most fascin…

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February 24, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Matthew Hall: Forming Evangelical Pastors: Theological Education from the Margins

A great many in my tribe are currently preoccupied with speculation about the next four to eight years. That is understandable. Still, we evangelicals Forming Evangelical Pastors: Theological Education from the Margins February 24, 2021 | by Matthew Hall Evangelic…

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February 23, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Timothy P. O'Malley: Is the Catholic Parish in Crisis?

In my doctoral program at Boston College, the predicament of the Catholic parish was a frequent topic. At the center of the sexual abuse crisis, paris Is the Catholic Parish in Crisis? February 23, 2021 | by Timothy P. O'Malley The future of the parish depends on …

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February 22, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Andy Smarick: We Must Found Institutions, Not Just Preserve Them: A Conservatism of Creation

Conservatives frustrated with the direction of our nation should redirect their energies away from podcasts and Twitter and toward a more productive t We Must Found Institutions, Not Just Preserve Them: A Conservatism of Creation February 22, 2021 | by Andy Smaric…

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February 21, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Daniel E. Burns: A Time to Build Schools

A year ago, reviewing Yuval Levin’s outstanding book on the state of our country’s institutions, I predicted that the next Democratic presidential adm A Time to Build Schools February 21, 2021 | by Daniel E. Burns Our nation’s morally formative institutions are we…

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February 19, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Josh Hammer: Toward a New Jurisprudential Consensus: Common Good Originalism

We conservatives now find ourselves trying to plot a course forward in the aftermath of the tumultuous Trump presidency. It is imperative that all con Toward a New Jurisprudential Consensus: Common Good Originalism February 19, 2021 | by Josh Hammer Common good or…

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February 18, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Carson Holloway: Orwell, Atheism, and Totalitarianism

The very real controversies of America’s 2021 have conjured up the fictional dystopia of George Orwell’s 1984. The right condemns Big Tech as an incip Orwell, Atheism, and Totalitarianism February 18, 2021 | by Carson Holloway Many have argued that without God the…

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February 17, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Seow Hon Tan: How Surrogacy Arrangements Fail Children

Surrogacy arrangements are in the spotlight again. Recently, Chinese actress Zheng Shuang was accused by her former partner of abandoning two babies c How Surrogacy Arrangements Fail Children February 17, 2021 | by Seow Hon Tan Surrogacy arrangements are not in th…

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February 16, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Joseph Prud'homme: The “Great Dissenter”: Justice John Marshall Harlan the First as a Role Model of Resistance in a Post-Constitutional Age

In his book Trust, Pete Buttigieg argues that many Americans now demand a more democratic polity, and that the frame of our government must change to The “Great Dissenter”: Justice John Marshall Harlan the First as a Role Model of Resistance in a Post-Constitutio…

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February 15, 2021 at 12:04 PM

James E. Hartley: Is L’affaire GameStop a Morality Play?

Where were you when you heard the news about GameStop? When it showed up in your Twitter feed, you were probably shocked. Senator Cruz agreed with Rep Is L’affaire GameStop a Morality Play? February 15, 2021 | by James E. Hartley While it gives a certain amount of…

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February 12, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Raymond Hain: Benedictine Education and the Importance of Poetic Thinking

While interviewing for an academic position, I was once asked whether I thought philosophy was most properly a problem or a mystery. Taken aback, afte Benedictine Education and the Importance of Poetic Thinking February 12, 2021 | by Raymond Hain The poetic stance…

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February 11, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Joshua Pauling: Don’t Immanentize the Eschaton: Against Right-Wing Gnosticism

“Don’t let them immanentize the eschaton.” So said William Buckley—and countless conservatives since—to critique the utopian visions of progressives. Don’t Immanentize the Eschaton: Against Right-Wing Gnosticism February 11, 2021 | by Joshua Pauling Eric Voegelin…

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February 10, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Gerard V. Bradley: Catholic Schools and Transgender Students

When a rising third-grade girl at the School of the Incarnation in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore announced last Summer that she was a “transge Catholic Schools and Transgender Students February 10, 2021 | by Gerard V. Bradley The lastingness of each person…

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February 9, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Serena Sigillito: A Conservative Case for Pro-Family Policy

With a Biden administration and a Democrat–controlled Congress, conservatives will need to do plenty of yelling “stop!” in the coming months. The barr A Conservative Case for Pro-Family Policy February 09, 2021 | by Serena Sigillito As a post-Trump conservative co…

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February 8, 2021 at 12:06 PM

Christopher O. Tollefsen: Engaging with the Culture: Virtue? Or Practical Reasons?

Michael Krom begins his new book Justice and Charity: An Introduction to Aquinas’s Moral, Economic, and Political Thought, by noting that the world to Engaging with the Culture: Virtue? Or Practical Reasons? February 08, 2021 | by Christopher O. Tollefsen Practica…

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February 5, 2021 at 12:06 PM

Mariana and Alfredo: We Are Real Parents, Too: Our Adoption Story

The following is a personal story shared by Mariana and Alfredo, adoptive parents living in South America who participate in CanaVox reading groups. O We Are Real Parents, Too: Our Adoption Story February 05, 2021 | by Mariana and Alfredo Some people don’t conside…

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February 4, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Daniel Frost and Hal Boyd: The Moral Incoherence of “Family Privilege” Ideology

“Family privilege” ideology is the next cause célèbre among those who seek to dismantle the nuclear family. Family privilege activists argue that soci The Moral Incoherence of “Family Privilege” Ideology February 04, 2021 | by Daniel Frost and Hal Boyd We should e…

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February 3, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Samuel Gregg: Founding Economics and American Conservatism’s Future

Contemporary divisions on the American right are an acute reminder that some of the United States’ most difficult debates have historically revolved a Founding Economics and American Conservatism’s Future February 03, 2021 | by Samuel Gregg Today’s intra-conservat…

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February 2, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Brian A. Smith: Beauty Can Teach Us the Art of Living Well

Defenders of the liberal arts point to truth, goodness, and beauty as the noblest ends that make for a worthy life. There may have been times these we Beauty Can Teach Us the Art of Living Well February 02, 2021 | by Brian A. Smith Human beings have a natural appr…

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February 1, 2021 at 12:02 PM

The Editors: Toward a New Consensus: An Invitation

In the turmoil and fractiousness of the current American moment, it is understandable that many express sadness, anger, and anxiety that things are fa Toward a New Consensus: An Invitation February 01, 2021 | by The Editors The editors of Public Discourse invite c…

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January 31, 2021 at 1:04 PM

Featured Collection: Facing Tomorrow's Biggest Challenges

Featured Collection: Facing Tomorrow's Biggest Challenges PD Founder Ryan T. Anderson looks back at twelve years of essays, and forward to the challenges ahead. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, Today is my last day as Edito…

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January 29, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Elizabeth Regnerus: Revelations from a Hidden Life

Early in 2020, I was instructed in the art of radical hospitality by a woman whose parents had demonstrated to her how to love one’s enemies. During m Revelations from a Hidden Life January 29, 2021 | by Elizabeth Regnerus The hidden life of Franz Jägerstätter off…

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January 28, 2021 at 4:12 PM

Public Discourse readers: did you know about Witherspoon's online and summer seminars?

Public Discourse readers: did you know about Witherspoon's online and summer seminars? Public Discourse readers: did you know about Witherspoon's online and summer seminars? Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dear Joh…

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January 28, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Jean C. Lloyd: Insuring Rights for “Wrong” Bodies

I have lost quite a few family members to cancer. Always present in this wrenching journey are concerns over insurance—relief and dismay make alternat Insuring Rights for “Wrong” Bodies January 28, 2021 | by Jean C. Lloyd As a recent British court decision correct…

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January 27, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Casey Chalk: Avoiding the Delimiting of Hope

Regardless of one’s politics, it’s hard not to feel a bit disheartened in these first days of 2021 (especially after the violence on January 6 during Avoiding the Delimiting of Hope January 27, 2021 | by Casey Chalk Against the failed hopes of the Enlightenment, …

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January 26, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Veronica Roberts Ogle: Timely Lessons from the Sack of Rome

The recent storming of the Capitol by rioters, including one in barbarian garb, reminded many of the sack of Rome. Fortunately, when it comes to their Timely Lessons from the Sack of Rome January 26, 2021 | by Veronica Roberts Ogle If Christians truly believe that…

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January 25, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Samuel Gregg: Ratzinger’s Way

It is a dispiriting time to be Catholic. The sexual and financial scandals that have humiliated the Church have seriously compromised its ability to w Ratzinger’s Way January 25, 2021 | by Samuel Gregg The first of a projected two-volume biography of the theologia…

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January 23, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Matthew J. Franck: The Bookshelf: Partisan Moments

With the inauguration of President Joe Biden, one of the most remarkable chapters in American political history is brought to a close, and another beg The Bookshelf: Partisan Moments January 23, 2021 | by Matthew J. Franck Partisanship is strong drink, and moderat…

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January 22, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Charles C. Camosy: Open Letter to Pope Francis on Prenatal Justice

Dear Holy Father, I’ve been an admirer of your pontificate from the very beginning, and I have remained excited over the last eight years. Your vision Open Letter to Pope Francis on Prenatal Justice January 22, 2021 | by Charles C. Camosy A moral theologian urges …

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January 21, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Philip Jeffery: The Decline of the American “We”

There’s one thing we can always count on in a presidential election year: No matter how divisive the issues in his platform, no matter what level of b The Decline of the American “We” January 21, 2021 | by Philip Jeffery In the twentieth century, Americans prolife…

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January 20, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Andrew T. Walker: Protecting Christian Political Theology from the Shibboleth of “Christian Nationalism”

In the aftermath of the January 6 riot and attack on the Capitol, onlookers and commentators are seeking to explain and, in turn, to fix blame on the Protecting Christian Political Theology from the Shibboleth of “Christian Nationalism” January 20, 2021 | by Andr…

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January 19, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Bradford Littlejohn: Liberty, Law, and the Peril of Arbitrary Power

As the dust settles in the aftermath of the cataclysmic assault on the US Capitol on January 6, many are seeking to make sense of how we got to this p Liberty, Law, and the Peril of Arbitrary Power January 19, 2021 | by Bradford Littlejohn To understand the connec…

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January 16, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Hunter Baker: When Pragmatic Politics Goes Bad: An Apology to the Never Trumpers

I am writing to offer an apology. The short version is this: I severely underestimated the threat posed by a Donald Trump presidency. The never-Trumpe When Pragmatic Politics Goes Bad: An Apology to the Never Trumpers January 15, 2021 | by Hunter Baker I have awak…

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January 15, 2021 at 2:45 PM

R. J. Snell to become PD Editor-in-Chief, Ryan T. Anderson to become President of EPPC

R. J. Snell to become PD Editor-in-Chief, Ryan T. Anderson to become President of EPPC The Witherspoon Institute is pleased to announce that R. J. Snell will become Editor-in-Chief of Public Discourse.  Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. …

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January 15, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Timothy P. O'Malley: A Communion of Anxiety: Hookup Culture and the Impossible Horizon of the Future

In the conservative world, hookup culture is often understood primarily as a symptom of sexual excess. Because young people do not place a high value A Communion of Anxiety: Hookup Culture and the Impossible Horizon of the Future January 15, 2021 | by Timothy P. …

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January 14, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Tsh Oxenreider: Writing a Rule of Life: A Timeless Tool for Decision-Making

I was exhausted from four months of nonstop backpacking in Asia with my three children and husband when I first entertained the idea of getting my pri Writing a Rule of Life: A Timeless Tool for Decision-Making January 14, 2021 | by Tsh Oxenreider I may not live i…

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January 13, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Samuel Gregg: Why Corporate America Loves the Left

Amid the political ads with which we are bombarded during every election, one theme emphasized by progressive candidates concerns the evils of busines Why Corporate America Loves the Left January 13, 2021 | by Samuel Gregg The leftward drift of many American busin…

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January 12, 2021 at 12:04 PM

Jennifer S. Bryson: Theology of Home Shows Women the Beauty of Fruitful Living

“For decades now, the entrenched wisdom has been that women’s unhappiness is largely due to the fact that home life demeans us and the remedy is for u Theology of Home Shows Women the Beauty of Fruitful Living January 12, 2021 | by Jennifer S. Bryson Carrie Gress …

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January 11, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Elizabeth Corey: Learning, Justice, and Gift

Much in culture right now inclines toward the apocalyptic. While conservatives are very good at criticism, we’re not as good at gratitude and apprecia Learning, Justice, and Gift January 11, 2021 | by Elizabeth Corey If people are more than wage-earners, then they…

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January 8, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Andrew Koppelman and Adam J. MacLeod: Between the Trenches of the Culture Wars, But Not with Ill Will: An Exchange

Andrew Koppelman writes: Thanks to Adam MacLeod for his thoughtful and generous two-part response to my book, Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty? The Un Between the Trenches of the Culture Wars, But Not with Ill Will: An Exchange January 08, 2021 | by Andrew Koppelm…

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January 7, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Nathan Pinkoski: La France Périphérique and the Wounds of Globalization

In the spring of 1995, Jacques Chirac campaigned for the French presidency by offering a break from past politics. While previous liberal and progress La France Périphérique and the Wounds of Globalization January 07, 2021 | by Nathan Pinkoski Nicholas Mathieu’s n…

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January 6, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Christopher Kaczor: What I Wish I’d Known When I Started Graduate School: Tips for Writing and for Combating Impostor Syndrome

As we begin a new year, students and budding intellectuals may be drawn to make resolutions so as to make the most of their time. As a new course of s What I Wish I’d Known When I Started Graduate School: Tips for Writing and for Combating Impostor Syndrome Januar…

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January 5, 2021 at 12:03 PM

Melissa Moschella: The COVID Vaccines are Not “Morally Compromised”

The recent approval of the first COVID vaccines has sparked debates about the morality of taking vaccines made with the help of cell lines originally The COVID Vaccines are Not “Morally Compromised” January 05, 2021 | by Melissa Moschella The use of HEK 293 or si…

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January 4, 2021 at 12:02 PM

Michael Moreland: Giving Embodiment Its Due

For a field of such public academic prominence, bioethics has a bad reputation. As Luke Gormally (former director of the British-based Linacre Centre Giving Embodiment Its Due January 04, 2021 | by Michael Moreland Carter Snead shows how expressive individualism …

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December 30, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Josh Herring: The Netflix Effect: Corrosive Storytelling and the Human Person

The popular Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit tells the story of Beth Harmon, a fictional teenage chess prodigy turned international Grand Master. Alt The Netflix Effect: Corrosive Storytelling and the Human Person December 30, 2020 | by Josh Herring The Netflix a…

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December 29, 2020 at 1:03 PM

How do we make 2021 a better year?

How do we make 2021 a better year? Next year calls for our best. Will you respond? Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear John, As the new year dawns, Americans looks back on a difficult 2020 and forward to an uncertain 2021. After en…

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December 29, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Nathanael Blake: Baby Is a Punk Rocker: On the Givenness of Life

When my daughter was a newborn, I developed a simple variant on the popular “5 S’s” sleep method: I would swaddle and gently rock her, preferably whil Baby Is a Punk Rocker: On the Givenness of Life December 29, 2020 | by Nathanael Blake Excessive efforts to contr…

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December 28, 2020 at 12:04 PM

William Nolan: Unlock Our Churches: Bringing Back Private Prayer

Going to church in our times is a complicated affair. Early on in the pandemic, the Church took a strong prudential tack, following governmental regul Unlock Our Churches: Bringing Back Private Prayer December 28, 2020 | by William Nolan Given the Church’s unequiv…

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