Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, and Thomas Merton

by Ron Dart
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The year 2020 signals both the sixtieth year since Boris Pasternak died and the one hundred thirtieth year since he was born (1890-1960). There is much to the literary and political life in the midst of Stalinist Russia that Pasternak endured and wrote about, but this two-part article will focus on Pasternak himself, his epic novel, Doctor Zhivago, and Thomas Merton.…

Fear Versus Faith: Navigating Conspiracies in a Hyperactive Society

by Ted Lewis
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There is certainly no shortage of fear these days. We hear of it on all sides and sometimes feel it within our own hearts. We encounter people who fear the possible loss of personal freedoms, and we encounter people who fear the possibility of catching the Covid19 virus or spreading it to others. Fear is basically a function of what’s possible in the near future. But, interestingly enough, faith is also a function of what is possible.…

Shirley, Goodness and Mercy

by Sharon Fish Mooney
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...It reminds me of the annual pageant at a care center for developmentally disabled children. Jim, the local chaplain, would go all out to make it a special time of celebration and group involvement each December. He was known to drive three sheep in the back of his van from the local petting zoo to the pageant. Jim named the sheep, who had personalities of their own, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy.…

Six Beautiful Truths About Dr. J.I. Packer

by Daniel Gilman
Globally famous, constantly published, and intensely shy, the Reverend Dr. J.I. Packer enriched the faith of millions throughout the world through his hundreds of published books, essays, and articles. Dr. Packer passed away on July 17, 2020 at the age of ninety-three, leaving a hole in the lives of everyone who knew him, heard him speak, or read his work.…

The Seven Works of Mercy: How two Dutch artworks—one Renaissance, one contemporary—can help us recover an ethic of neighborly care

by Victoria Emily Jones
In early modern Europe most of what passed for social welfare was organized and run by confraternities, or lay brotherhoods. An extension of the Church system, membership consisted of upper-class men and women who ran the city’s hospitals, hostels, orphanages, eldercare facilities, and shelters for prostitutes and widows. They also managed the distribution of food, medicine, alms, and dowries to the poor—all in the name of Christ.…

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Book review: Hermann Hesse: Phoenix Arising. By Ron Dart

Hanging above the mantle in Ron Dart’s living room is a large oil painting of a sea-battered coastal landscape featuring an old lighthouse nestled amongst tall, wispy, and sun-browned grass on an otherwise barren landscape. The symbol of the lighthouse is telling for how the author of thirty-plus books, including The North American High Tory Tradition and Keepers of the Flame: Canadian Red Toryism, has been influenced by the countercultural icon, Hermann Hesse.…