Columns
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June 3-10, 2013
When I taught critical journalism I never offered Roger Ebert as a writer’s role model. Our guide was William Zinsser, whose On Writing Well distinguished between the reviewer, seen as part of the marketing game, and the critic, who was a literary artist. We turned to H. L. Mencken, for whom the novel or play was like the swimming pool’s diving board, from which the critic would soar into space and show off his style.
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June 3-10, 2013
Beware those in Washington who minimize moral dimensions of issues by insisting that public choices are simply matters of “prudential judgment” and that therefore religious teaching and moral arguments are really not important. They emphasize the distinction between fundamental moral principles that have compelling moral claims (like the duty to protect innocent human life) and prudential judgments that are matters for debate (like how to overcome poverty...
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May 27, 2013
The United Nations uses it: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” (“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”).
Doctors use it: “A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity” (“Code of Ethics,” American Medical Association).
Hillary Rodham Clinton also uses it: “Let’s keep fighting for opportunity and dignity...freedom and equality... full participation...
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May 27, 2013
Whenever I find myself in a confusing pastoral situation, I ask myself a question that has, sadly, become something of a punch line: “What would Jesus do?”
Yes, I know the phrase has been almost drained of meaning thanks to overuse, but it still has great value for those who minister in Jesus’ name. And once I ask that question, an answer usually presents itself. Be kind. Be merciful. Be forgiving. Listen carefully. Above all, love.
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May 20, 2013
When I first heard the news of the hunger strike at the U.S. detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, my impulse was to tune it out. A few days later The New York Times printed a column on its op-ed page by one of the strikers, and my eyes moved past it to other articles on the page.
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May 20, 2013
May is the month in which the church honors Mary; by happy coincidence, it is also the month when secular culture honors mothers. According to the Bible, Mary’s role in salvation history is small but mighty. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, she conceives the Messiah, gives birth to Jesus and raises him to adulthood. She appears at a few key moments in Christ’s ministry—searching frantically for him and finding him teaching in the temple; urging him to...
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May 13, 2013
Recently I was speaking with a friend from college who is an elementary school teacher in upstate New York. Over the course of our conversation we talked about her family, what’s new in life and how things were going at work. It was during our discussion about her experiences at school that things took a disconcerting turn.
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May 13, 2013
There is a reason we don’t talk about “sidewalk rage”: It doesn’t exist, at least where I’ve lived. Like many people, I often get frustrated while driving in traffic. I also get upset on my bike if drivers don’t acknowledge the presence of bikers, even as drivers justifiably get frustrated with me on a bike if I do not follow the rules of the road. But the sidewalk? I honestly cannot remember a time when I was angry on the sidewalk.
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May 6, 2013
“I make sure,” said my friend, “that I am never alone with my nephews and nieces.” That comment came from a priest. We were talking about the most sensitive topic imaginable: the fallout from the clerical sexual abuse scandals and the way that has affected our priesthood. It is something that many priests often discuss among themselves.
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May 6, 2013
Sometimes it’s hard to hear above all the grousing going on in religious circles these days regarding the growing irrelevance of faith among young adults. If you’re not familiar with the phenomenon it’s probably because a) you don’t work for a religious institution and/or b) you don’t yet place Talmudic importance on research data released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.