A Thinking Reed

  • An outing to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

    We had absolutely gorgeous weather here today, so my beloved wife and I decided to take a trip up to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of Catholic University and reputedly the largest Catholic Church in North America. The church is a Byzantine-Romanesque hybrid style with many side…

  • Tofu-licious!

    We made this Mark Bittman recipe for Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding tonight and it was really good. I was surprised how creamy it was. We added a bit of cayenne pepper for some kick.

  • Debating Celtic Christianity

    There’s a lively conversation going on downblog on the “Use and abuse of Celtic Christianity” post from a few weeks back. Welcome to any new readers! I don’t have much to contribute to the discussion at this point, but I’m happy to see it keep going.

  • Priorities

    I like this, from Brandon: Here and there over the past few years I’ve seen a great many Christians who are of the opinion that argument with the so-called New Atheists should be a major priority among Christians, and I recently saw another instance of this. They don’t generally ask my advice, but whenever people…

  • Dear Pandora

    When I’m listening to your (otherwise great) Traditional Country station, I really don’t need to hear Joaquin Phoenix singing Johnny Cash tunes from the Walk the Line soundtrack. Just sayin’.

  • Judicial watch

    No insightful legal analyis from these quarters (I know enough lawyers to know how out of my depth I’d be), but, boy howdy, the nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the SCOTUS sure is bringing out the best in the conservative movement and the GOP, isn’t it?

  • Torture, truth, and the war

    Jonathan Schell connects the dots and makes some observations about the use of torture as a characteristic of declining powers.

  • Friday metal – Tori-fied/Slaytanic edition

    Here’s Tori Amos'(!) nearly unrecognizable version of Slayer’s “Raining Blood”: Here’s the immortal original:

  • Obama, Niebuhr, and progressive realism

    A good essay by theologian-historian Gary Dorrien at “The Immanent Frame”: today Niebuhr is back in public discussion because he symbolizes, notably to Barack Obama, the possibility of a progressive realism that defends America’s interests more prudently and advances the cause of social justice. Niebuhr, like Obama, blends liberal internationalist and realist motifs, contending that…

  • Religious liberty and SSM

    Not sure I agree with all the conclusions, but this article from The Christian Century provides a lucid overview of potential conflicts between religious liberty and same-sex marriage, and how a reasonable balance might be struck. I do agree that treating people with religious objections to SSM as bigots pure and simple misses the mark;…