Voices
Patrick Gilger, S.J., is pursuing a Ph.D. in sociology at the New School for Social Research. He is America’s contributing editor for culture.
Politics & SocietyShort Take
The extent to which I do not want housing for the poor in my own neighborhood is the extent to which I am failing to be a Christian.
FaithBooks
From the open arms of “Who am I to judge?” to the strict boundaries of the Benedict Option, the question of how to be a church community is a prominent one for Christians in our secular age. The knot caused by the two kinds of answers commonly given to this question lies at the heart of our ecclesial and political conflicts. One sort of answer sees the church as a collection of individual seekers, an inclusive group that affirms the truths of personal experience and supports one another on our adjacent journeys.
Arts & CultureBooks
Patrick Gilger, S.J., reviews "The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation" by Rod Dreher.
Politics & SocietyIn All Things
If we think the Benedict Option is going to be easier than the messy reality of modern parish life, we have not yet seen it clearly.
The re-enchantment of the world may never be global, but perhaps it can be Catholic.
Politics & SocietyIn All Things
We write so that our silence does not become the privilege of ignoring suffering; we write to cling to the hope that another world is possible.
Frans van der Lugt, S.J.—who on April 7 was shot in the head, twice, in front of his home in the city of Homs, Syria—had been living under siege for 20 months when, in January, he recorded a video message challenging the outside world to help. He ends this video, one that made him f
Books
Duro Kolak, the narrator and fulcrum of Aminatta Forna’s excellent fourth book The Hired Man, is a patient man, loyal and solitary.
Faith
Editor’s note: The historic interview with Pope Francis (Am. 9/30) has generated a great deal of dialogue in the church and in society at large. We asked several writers to offer their reactions to the pope’s words. Selections from these responses are printed below. The full versions of
Books
The Variations attempts make inroads "on the vast terrain of what cannot be said."