When it comes to matters musical, I am a rank amateur–a lover without training or expertise; a listener who knows what he likes; a hearty singer without much skill. I’m grateful for a profession in which I can constantly create an acoustical ambience of music to wallpaper my workday. However, as a philosopher with interest…
“What are you giving up for Lent?” This question tells us a lot about American Christianity. While the question alludes to historic Christian practices of fasting and self-denial associated with the penitential season of Lent, the syntax of the question also points out a crucial shift: even our self-denial is an act of self-expression. Our…
Taylor Swift’s 1989 is often the soundtrack for my morning run. Its pop energy is just what my middle-aged body needs to keep pace. And “Shake It Off” queues up just as I’m starting to flag and I’m energized to shake off the doldrums, and all the haters. This morning I bumped Ryan Adams’ cover of…
In the early reconnaissance stages of a new book on St. Augustine, I’ve been reading his Expositions of the Psalms and came across this striking passage, given the time in which we find ourselves. In some ways, it reminded me of my Cardus colleague Ray Pennings’ recent op-ed in the National Post. Augustine, preaching on…
In memory of Franz Wright. Father’s Day is easy for me: I have none. They all left. So I don’t have to find an awkward card amidst the cloying selection on offer. I don’t have to make the clichéd choice between necktie or power tool. I don’t have to endure the awkwardness of a largely…
As many of you know, I don’t come from a small “town;” I come from a small village. Embro, Ontario had a population of just about 600 people when I was growing up, without even the one proverbial stoplight to slow down passers-through who would miss it if they blinked. If you’ve read an Alice…