Of Many Things
On his 100th birthday, J.F.K. points out the problems with politics
The great enemy of the truth,” said J.F.K., “is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest; but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.”
Your Take
Parishes could do more to support people with depression and anxiety, say America readers
A significant obstacle for Catholics with depression and/or anxiety was the dangerous—and wrongful—interpretation of these conditions as spiritual failures.
The Letters
If there is any hallmark of the Catholic imagination, in particular the Ignatian Catholic imagination, it would be the ability to see God in the most unexpected places.
Editorials
The Editors: The calm conviction we need in the face of James Comey’s firing
At this point, it is important to find level ground, rather than stumble down a hill that we may not be able to climb back up.
The Editors: Litmus tests lead to mediocre politics and voter disengagement
The exclusion of pro-life Democratic candidates feeds cynicism about our money-driven political process.
Short Take
The church must build ‘spiritual ramps’ to sex abuse survivors
Wheelchair ramps help disabled persons enter into a church building. There is a need for spiritual ramps to help the church to go in the other direction.
Dispatches
U.S. church wrestles with changing attitudes, pastoral practice toward L.G.B.T. Catholics
Despite shifting views among average Catholics, advocates for L.G.B.T. people say the church can still feel unwelcoming. Church teaching that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” has not changed.
South Africa plays its own game of thrones as Zuma presidency lurches on
What should one make of this chaotic month? Is the presidency of Jacob Zuma reaching an endgame?
US bishops urge Senate to strike ‘harmful’ aspects of AHCA
U.S. bishops called on the Senate to strip out the harmful provisions of the bill when the chamber takes it up for consideration or essentially to start over on GOP efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.
I-Spy in China: a revival of Mao-era paranoia?
Forty years after the end of the Cultural Revolution, schoolchildren in China are once again being mobilized for an anti-espionage drive reminiscent of the Mao era.
Features
In Jefferson’s Shadow: Can Catholic theology thrive at a public university?
How can you shed light on the Catholic tradition without stating anything as truth?
James Martin, S.J.: We need to build a bridge between LGBT community and the Catholic Church.
We are all pilgrims on the way, loved sinners following the call we first heard at our baptisms.
Faith in Focus
Under the Gaze of Dorothy Day: Living with my grandmother’s faith
My grandmother, Dorothy Day, believed that to lose one’s faith was the greatest sadness.
Vantage Point
An inaugural accolade: remembering John F. Kennedy’s 100th birthday
America’s editors managed, to a degree, to contain their enthusiasm for John F. Kennedy’s candidacy during the presidential campaign of 1960. Their reaction to his inaugural address, however, was less restrained.
Ideas
Junot Díaz talks Dominican identity, immigration and the (complicated) American Dream
The American dream is at the center of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Díaz.
Books
Inside the Cenacle
Thomas J. Scirghi, S.J. reviews “Meeting God in the Upper Room” by Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi.
Yitzhak Rabin: the spirit of Israel
The Israeli leader chose a path of peace and negotiation with the Palestinians.
The problem of violence in the modern world
Killing Others provides an erudite yet accessible introduction to the origins and causes of ethnic violence.
Emmett Till: the lynching that shook the conscience of the world
One cannot begin to understand the current deterioration of American race relations without confronting the enduring realities of white supremacy present in the case of Emmett Till.
Television
What ’13 Reasons Why’ gets wrong about suicide
This is not TV viewing for the faint of heart or any other parts of the soul for that matter.
Bill Nye can’t save the world all by himself.
Bill Nye’s gags are every bit as goofy as they were in the ’90s. But his new show on Netflix is weighed down by a condescending attitude.
Poetry
The Neurology of Love
“Starknowing. He places his hand in hers,/ but she doesn’t recognize it. What was love once/ is beyond forgotten now, is never having known”
The Word
Formed in Their Likeness
What might get lost in this elegant theology is that the Trinity does not act merely for God’s own glory, but to form a people.
From Ashes to Fire
Our most important task is to reveal God at work. Such efforts continue the original work of the apostles, who spoke “in their own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”
Last Take
The Strength of A Nation: Why Trump’s budget is a threat to our national security
President Trump’s budget provides a boost to “our common defense” at the price of cutting support for “the general welfare.”
Faith
Formed in Their Likeness
What might get lost in this elegant theology is that the Trinity does not act merely for God’s own glory, but to form a people.
From Ashes to Fire
Our most important task is to reveal God at work. Such efforts continue the original work of the apostles, who spoke “in their own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”
U.S. church wrestles with changing attitudes, pastoral practice toward L.G.B.T. Catholics
Despite shifting views among average Catholics, advocates for L.G.B.T. people say the church can still feel unwelcoming. Church teaching that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” has not changed.
The church must build ‘spiritual ramps’ to sex abuse survivors
Wheelchair ramps help disabled persons enter into a church building. There is a need for spiritual ramps to help the church to go in the other direction.
Under the Gaze of Dorothy Day: Living with my grandmother’s faith
My grandmother, Dorothy Day, believed that to lose one’s faith was the greatest sadness.
James Martin, S.J.: We need to build a bridge between LGBT community and the Catholic Church.
We are all pilgrims on the way, loved sinners following the call we first heard at our baptisms.
Magazine
Parishes could do more to support people with depression and anxiety, say America readers
A significant obstacle for Catholics with depression and/or anxiety was the dangerous—and wrongful—interpretation of these conditions as spiritual failures.
The Letters
If there is any hallmark of the Catholic imagination, in particular the Ignatian Catholic imagination, it would be the ability to see God in the most unexpected places.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts