The brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad has gassed, starved, tortured, and slaughtered the Syrian people. And the international community’s response has been shamefully inadequate. But there are some people who have displayed courage and character in the face of these mass atrocities. Our 2015 Millennials of the Year are the millennial volunteers of the Syrian… Read More Millennials of the Year 2015: The White Helmets of Syria
The Francis Effect: A Radical Pope’s Challenge to the American Catholic Church is an outstanding new book by John Gehring, Catholic Program Director at Faith in Public Life. The book provides an excellent overview of the key moments, debates, and consequences of Francis’ papacy, rooted in Gehring’s strong analysis and unfolding in an interesting and… Read More The Francis Effect: John Gehring on a Radical Pope’s Challenge to the American Catholic Church
This past Sunday marked the beginning of Advent, which means two things: First, Christians around the world have entered into a month of waiting in joyful expectation for the coming of Christ. Second, people everywhere (including Christians) will soon find themselves especially pressed for time in the midst of the flurry of holiday activity and… Read More An Advent Antidote for the Holiday Rush
Young, motivated believers find themselves in a precarious position, balancing between the extreme tendencies of any faith and the secular millennial world of material idolization, substance abuse, and mutual sexual objectification. Examining how different people and groups become radicalized provides a lens into this special position, how orthodox Catholicism in particular, but any faithful traditionally-rooted… Read More Millennial Catholics and the Fight against Extremism
Last week, Yale University released a study, The Francis Effect: How Pope Francis Changed the Conversation About Global Warming. The report aims to measure the impact of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, released in June. The media buzz surrounding this document produced more than 3,000 news stories, and parishes organized hundreds of reflection and discussion… Read More Is The ‘Francis Effect’ Overcoming American Indifference to Climate Change?
Last week, the National Catholic Reporter ran a story about the upcoming elections for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. The author of the story paints a picture of the elections as presenting a choice between “Francis bishops” and bishops who might be seen as being more at odds with the pastoral inclinations and priorities… Read More Confusion Within the Church: Satan’s Work or God’s?
When the body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi washed ashore near a Turkish resort, the world was horrified. The image sparked a debate worldwide about countries’ immigration policies and led to a swelling demand to accept Syrian refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War. The sentiment is clear: Alan should have been allowed to go somewhere safe,… Read More In Defense of the Human Rights of Emigration and Asylum
Millennial 