The Humanitas Forum

“The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.”  Thus runs one of the most concise statements of the materialism that is at the heart of modernity.  With this proposition, Carl Sagan began a …

When we think of selling some things, we think of a shady character on a street corner hustling counterfeit or ill-gotten merchandise.  For most of us, the possibility of selling made-to-order human embryos on the open market would fit …

Only a fraction of the Church’s potential is being utilized for the task of bearing witness “to the love, grace, mercy, and truth of Christ.”  By analogy, today’s Church is like the basketball team that leaves its center and …

The numerous discussions surrounding the recent election of Pope Francis have been quite telling. Would the new pope come from Europe or possibly from Africa or the Americas?  What about internal Vatican politics—the “curia cardinals” vs. the “reformists”?…

“I don’t think we have to worry about youth.  What we have to worry about is the church.”

When these word were penned in 1970, the “sixties counterculture” was in full bloom.  LSD trips, free love, anti-Vietnam …

What does technology want?  It wants to give us choices, to give us lots of opportunities, proclaims Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine.  Once described as the “happy evangelist from Geekdom,” Kelly argues that technology enables us to …

Commenting on the state of sermons coming from contemporary pulpits is a risky business—especially if you’re not part of the preaching guild.

Like lots of people in the pews, many pastors have theoretical commitments to doctrines that never get …

Understanding the spiritual lives of American young people is a complicated task.  Much of the discussion has focused on numbers—the number of young people walking away from the Church.  But numbers don’t tell the whole story.  There …

Will our children grow up to believe in Jesus Christ?  Will they live according to the Christian faith?  Or, will they “disengage” from church along with others in the 80-percent who currently drop out between high school and …

Ours is an age of anxiety—a time of uncertainty when the fundamental nature of our society is being contested.  The term “culture wars” is often used to describe some of the more prominent flash points.   A woman’s right …