An Encyclopedia of Curiosities and Horrors
The expanded edition of The Art of Horror Movies: An Illustrated History is a truly phenomenal book. Its pages are adorned not only with diverse artwork, from…
What We’re Reading
Thomas E. Ricks, Churchill & Orwell: The Fight for Freedom. Few names ring as triumphantly over the twentieth century as Winston Churchill and George Orwell. Churchill, as we…
What Did Saint Ignatius of Antioch Really Believe About the Eucharist?
It is commonplace, even among most non-Catholic Christians, to read Saint Ignatius as affirming “sacramental realism” in his writings. When I was at Yale, this was the…
Spiritual Renewal and Modern Choral Music
One of the most interesting phenomena in modern “classical” music (or, if you will, “serious” or “art” music) from the end of the 20th century to today has…
Ivan Karamazov’s Meth Lab: Dostoevsky’s Theology in Breaking Bad
In a modern media industry driven by box office profits and Netflix streaming numbers, it is difficult to find movies and television shows that deserve classification as…
A Confession in Times of War
As most of the world, I was appalled by the brutality of the attacks which took place on October 7 in Israel. The deliberate targeting and cold-blooded…
The Window
The glass in a neighbouring window – The edges of its sharp rectangle At moments screened and disclosed By the restless black silhouettes Of leaves, branches, in…
A Tale of Two Revolutionaries
I recall being somewhat bored reading Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment in my AP English class in high school the first time I read that great work,…
The Repressed Spirit of a Modern Monster: Understanding Horror in Japan
Modern Japan’s association, and deep involvement with, popular culture in general, and a very specific horror culture in particular, is as immediate as it is uncontroversial. To…
The Unity of Faith and Reason in Christian Theology
Grant Kaplan begins his theological essay with a seemingly innocuous postulate: the meaning of the terms "faith" and "reason," he asserts, have shifted throughout the 2,000 or…
How Far Do I Reach? Utilitarianism Through Another Lens
I create an Instagram post, upload it, and send it into the void. It’s appropriate that the network of servers making up the Internet is called the…
Wisdom and Hospitality in the Classroom
In the book of Proverbs – a book addressed especially to young people, particularly young men – Solomon commends wisdom as a “lady.” Lady Wisdom is a…
The Sawteeth
Hiking the jagged spine of the Appalachians, fraser fir and spruce trees stretch hands high above me, gnarled beeches reach twisted arms over my winding trail. Moss…
One Less Leaf
(auras of all my autumns) I One less leaf, though a loss, is no cause for grief, Not when so many still cling tightly to their…
Why Choose the Jews?
It feels like forever – so changed are the times! – but it’s only been two days at this writing. Starting in the early hours of October…