With Both Hands

Sign in Subscribe

Religion

WBH Digest 2025-01-17: Agony and Ecstasy

WBH Digest 2025-01-17: Agony and Ecstasy

Unfolding the World – Agony and Ecstasy I've said in the past that great men are often ridden by their obsessions. Based on this story from J. Daniel Sawyer, pain can also serve as a spur to accomplishment. The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from

The Long View 2007-08-20: God's Politics

This is an amazing line: When you see an argument developing a vector as surprising as the vector this argument manifests, you know that it is under the gravitational influence of some ideological dark body. Also: Yes, the US has a "strong constitutional structure." In part, that is

The Long View: Americanism: The Fourth Great Western Religion By David Gelernter

Another great review by John J. Reilly. One of the things I admired about John was his ability to make you learn something useful and interesting when he critiqued a book. Many of the books he reviewed were elevated by the experience. Americanism: The Fourth Great Western Religion is certainly

Linkfest 2018-08-13

While I am opposed to this kind of Luddism, it does demonstrate a kind of consistency. GMO does not actually describe all kinds of genetic engineering that we apply to food. Here is the article about the damage to the research plot. Cash transfers and labor supply: Evidence from a

The Long View 2006-09-01: The Overthrow of Islam

The politicization of religion is a nuisance. Unfortunately, it is often less than clear what counts as politicization when you get started. The Overthrow of Islam "Taking the turban" was the term that American and European mariners called the practice of formally embracing Islam when captured by Muslim

The Long View 2005-12-22: Europe and Its Discontents

In this blog post, John Reilly points to a sublime essay written by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the height of his powers: Europe and Its Discontents. Published in English by First Things magazine, Benedict analyzes the idea of Europe through a grand sweep of history, religion, and politics. You

The Contemplative Life -- Pt. II

It took me a couple of weeks to finally paint in all the corners I needed to repost John Reilly's review of St. Teresa's The Interior Castle. Sure, I could have just slapped it up here, but I like to preserve the web of links John