The Humanitas Forum

Character is dead.  It did not die a natural death.  Its demise had been a long time coming.  Moral character ceased to be possible as our culture increasingly refused to accept objective good and evil.

The death of character resulted …

Prophets often come in strange guises and from unexpected places.  Although their message may point to the spiritual nature of the universe, they themselves may not be religious.

Václav Havel was such a prophet.  He began his career as a …

Every day we live with the consequences of deep cultural change that began hundreds of years ago.  The arrival of the postmodern era signals a profound change in the way the world is understood—and in the way people expect to …

The place of science in modern life is secure.  It has brought us the electric light bulb, the polio vaccine, space travel, strawberries in January, heart stents, homes with year-round climate control, and modes of travel that would defy the …

The quality of Western atheism has gone steadily downhill over the past century, according to one theologian.  A number of scientists, philosophers, and university professors—all prominent atheists themselves—are in agreement.  They also agree that this downward slide is well demonstrated …

Theologian Stanley Hauerwas is a contrarian and a provocateur.  His pacifism puts him at odds with most of the Christian tradition.  His pro-life position puts him at odds with many, if not most, of those in his own theological tradition, …

“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 book-length exploration …

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”?  How would, …

The goal of “Operation Gravedigger” is the subversion of the modern Church, as explained in the first post on The Last Christian on Earth:  “The Christian faith contributed decisively to the rise of the modern world, but it has …

At the heart of the modern mindset is a negative sort of freedom, “freedom from”—freedom from tradition, freedom from lasting commitments, freedom from a place, freedom from other people’s expectations, and so on.  The absence of external constraints allows modern …