John Horvat II 
For those agonizing over what to buy this Christmas for their toddlers, the wait may be over. A panel of experts has just weighed in with suggestions targeting young children in the digital age. What do the experts say? Do they recommend a family-friendly video game that might be good fun and … Read more
So much that passes for culture is just entertainment. What people consider “culture” is an excuse to have fun. Everything must be full of novelty and excitement. It must be Facebookable and Instagram-friendly. While these fun activities may be popular, they do not constitute culture. They have no depth. For many, even … Read more
We live in what might be called a prodigal son delusion. People suffer from the temptation to live prodigal lifestyles in which they engage in the frenetic intemperance of demanding everything instantly and effortlessly. Such a state promises happiness to those who follow the program to the end. However, it does not … Read more
The War on Christmas is very real. Everyone has seen the massive attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. There are sparkle trees, X-mas cards and Happy Holidays. Major retailers jumped on the bandwagon and filled their advertising with joyless celebrations of an unnamed winter solstice holiday. Merry Christmas has become the … Read more
The Trump phenomenon leaves many people perplexed. On the one hand, he has done many good things for the conservative cause. On the other, he undeniably gets into trouble with his unique style and tweets, many of which open him up to criticism and attack. While it is true that the president … Read more
“Send down the dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just One: let the earth be opened, and bud forth the Redeemer.” Thus begins the Advent hymn, “Rorate Caeli,” that mournfully calls upon God to hear our prayers. We are made to sigh with longings, as the Fathers … Read more
Review of Pope Francis’s “Paradigm Shift”: Continuity or Rupture in the Mission of the Church? An Assessment of His Pontificate’s First Five Years. Looking at the Catholic horizon, confusion reigns. An endless succession of scandals and controversies surround the Francis pontificate. Things change so quickly that is hard to keep them straight. … Read more
In our polarized nation, an “us versus them” scenario naturally arises. We are not supposed to frame the debate in this way. “Us” should refer to all Americans. “Them” is a term that is better not used at all. This is the central message of Sen. Ben Sasse’s new book, Them: Why We Hate … Read more
On every American coin, there is the Latin expression, e pluribus unum, meaning “one out of many.” The motto is a celebration of the variety found in America expressed by different groups, regions, races and opinions. Of course, not everything can be pluribus in a political entity. There must be some point of … Read more
The rash of violence leading up to the elections has given way to the spinning of narratives to explain the sad state of the nation. While ignoring all violence from their side, the left has become especially adept at turning every violent incident involving anyone even remotely conservative into an ideological statement … Read more