Do you remember that thing called the Covid pandemic a few years ago? Schools closed, businesses closed, churches closed. The nation spent weeks – in some cases months – holed up in their homes, rarely daring to set foot outside except for essentials. It was a nightmare that many of us thought we’d never forget.
READ MOREIn mid-December, an article I wrote for another publication on the story behind “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” prompted an email from a reader disputing some of my facts. His source was Wikipedia, which my editors at that publication had told me to avoid. My source, which included a link, clashed with his information. At any
READ MOREWhen people first encounter C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters,” they assume they’re getting a Christian book about temptation or a moral fable written for a specific audience who lived in a particular time. Yet as I’ve begun reading the book for the first time, it’s clear that Lewis is doing something more precise than mere
READ MOREWhat is fascinating about our times is the dominant cultural narrative is set against religion. By that we mean that our modern secular society depends upon acknowledging that previous cultures were established upon religion and we are not. In other words, we as a society are moving away from something, that something being a religious foundation. Every civilization in
READ MOREChristmas is over, right? Or so many of us think. But before the Christmas season ran from Thanksgiving to Dec. 25, as it does today, the first few days of January were a major part of the Christmas celebration. The “Twelve Days of Christmas” officially end on Jan. 6, or Epiphany, the day on which
READ MOREThere should come a point in any man’s life where he is willing and able to commit an act of violence. Our soft and decadent culture recoils at the thought, but only because most men won’t encounter a situation where they must be violent. But as political divisions widen and crime in major Western cities
READ MOREFor millions of Americans, the start of the new year brings a familiar ritual as we pledge to be fitter, happier, wealthier, or more disciplined versions of ourselves. A recent YouGov poll found that roughly 25% of Americans want to exercise more in 2026, whereas 23% want more happiness and 22% want to eat healthier.
READ MOREIn my early morning internet meanderings, an article occasionally snatches me up and wipes the sleep from my mind. “Everything Is Melodrama Now: How We Lost the Tragic Thread,” by Jamie K. Wilson recently provided that cup of word coffee. Wilson explains the considerable gulf between tragedy as depicted by playwrights like Sophocles and Shakespeare,
READ MOREIt’s that time of year again when everyone from columnists to friends on Facebook proudly post the books they’ve read in the last year, and the ones they hope to tackle in the next. As an avid reader, I’m always intrigued by said lists. But in recent years I’ve noticed a recurring theme, namely, many
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