Those familiar with the Gilead story will find in Marilynne Robinson's latest novel another beautiful meditation on grace operative in spite of habits of despair and the social sins that feed them.

Christian communities can criticize and resist current trends toward faith deconstruction, but they may only succeed in pushing more people out into the wilderness where they are less likely to find the life-giving waters for which they thirst.

Tolkien's fiction reminds us that power cannot be controlled; it enslaves you. To act freely is to acknowledge your limits, to see the journey as a long road that includes dozens of future elections, and to fight against the temptation for power.

Is the practice of exorcism best forgotten, or is there any value in it?

The U.S. bishops have said that "the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority.” The statement would be more accurate and effective to say that the protection of unborn life is “foundational.”

An exciting new version of Psalm 137 has been discovered, and it gives comfort to a long-suffering people.