MARIO ARROYO
@marioarroyo
MARIO ARROYO
The social philosopher Ivan Illich was right when he insisted that the Good Samaritan is about encounter, not social (or even ecclesial) policy. Neighbors, according to Jesus’s telling, are those we meet, in flesh and blood, beside whom God has placed us in whatever odd circumstances, unplanned meanderings, or simple communal proximities. There the... See more
The Substance of Our Lives - First Things
Christians find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. History teaches them that their only choices when faced with a resurgent Islam (spiritually or demographically) are violent self-defence (the Crusades and Spain), submission (all those areas of the world that were once Christian but are now Muslim), or determined and successful evangelisation of
... See moreGavin Ashenden • Christianity and Islam – Two Into One Won’t Go, Your Majesty
Today, we apparently celebrate neither sexual modesty nor childhood.
Such exultant destruction of things once deemed sacred is a constitutive part of a Western culture that has transformed the rebel into a hero. Rebels need sacred rules to transgress, and as rebellion began to emerge as a heroic ideal in the nineteenth century—at least among the art... See more
Such exultant destruction of things once deemed sacred is a constitutive part of a Western culture that has transformed the rebel into a hero. Rebels need sacred rules to transgress, and as rebellion began to emerge as a heroic ideal in the nineteenth century—at least among the art... See more
Carl R. Trueman • Pride Month and the Infantilization of Society
In The Gay Science , Nietzsche’s Madman accuses his audience of polite atheists of having no idea of the significance of their atheism. Killing God, he points out, requires that his assassins themselves rise to the challenge of being gods, of becoming those who create meaning and value. Faced with their incomprehension, he acknowledges that he has ... See more
Abolishing Ourselves - First Things
The Future of Catholic Theology
The Future of Catholic Theology - First Things
The Church should tread carefully, both for the sake of imperiled Christians and for the West. Of course we have compassion for those suffering. But strong moral sentiments, imperfectly informed and manipulated, may lead to worse suffering—not merely for Christians but for Muslims and Jews.
Islamists and the Tragedy of Holy Family Church - First Things
most religions outside the Judeo-Christian tradition do not posit a creation at all. The universe is said to be eternal, without beginning or purpose, and never having been created, it has no creator. From this view, the universe is a supreme mystery, inconsistent, unpredictable, and (perhaps) arbitrary. For those holding this view, the only paths
... See moreRodney Stark • The Triumph of Christianity
The number of those who reject same-sex marriage is increasing today, especially among the young. Perhaps that’s because they have come of age in a society that promotes individual autonomy to such a degree that it undermines all forms of permanence, especially marriage. They probably do not regard Obergefell as having caused the decline of marri... See more