How are we to speak of the dead?

For instance, when a public figure dies, how should people respond—particularly his ideological opponents, and most especially those who regard the public figure’s life, causes and behavior as reprehensible?

A flurry of discussion around these issues was occasioned by the recent death of Andrew Breitbart and the ensuing spate of commentary in the media, blogosphere, Twitter, etc.—much of it consisting of solemn right-wing eulogizing and gleeful left-wing celebration. 

Similar displays have of course followed in the wakes of other public figures, and when a left-wing icon dies there is the same sort of eulogizing and gleeful celebration from the...READ MORE

An intriguing story from Catholic News Service highlights research that suggests that “the more church friends a person has, the happier he or she is.”

“Church friends are super-charged friends, but we have no idea why,” Harvard public policy professor Robert D. Putnam told a Gallup summit on religion, wellbeing and health last month.

It’s an intriguing finding, and in a way a worrisome one—or rather, it accentuates a worrisome trend in contemporary Catholic parish life: No matter how many banners and signs on Catholic churches proclaim that here is a vibrant “Catholic community,” many Catholic parishes today aren’t communities that foster vital personal relationships among...READ MORE

Reader response to the lovely family film The Secret World of Arrietty, I’m delighted to say, has been almost entirely positive. However, I did receive one negative email from a reader who not only didn’t enjoy the film, but considered it downright immoral. Why? Because the Borrowers, tiny people who live in secret in big people’s homes, survive by “borrowing” (i.e., taking) the things they need from the big people. Here’s the complaint:

I heard you review The Secret World of Arrietty on the radio after taking my granddaughter to the movie. I was appalled that you rated it so highly. From the moment I started watching the film, I felt it went against Catholic values and teachings. Since...READ MORE

With the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday more or less officially ending the awards season, this is pretty much my last chance to blog on some best-films lists of 2011 worth highlighting.

Every year, in addition to putting together my own best-of list, I cast my votes for the two top 10 lists produced by ChristianityToday.com’s film critics, Most Redeeming and Critics’ Choice.

The ChristianityToday.com Critics’ Choice winners for 2011 are:

1. The Tree of Life
2. The Artist
3. Win Win
4. Hugo
5. Of Gods and Men
6. Moneyball
7. Drive
8. Midnight in Paris
9. Super 8
10. The Mill & the Cross

Since seven of those films are in my top 20, I’m pretty happy with this list. Of those seven overlapping titles, five also...READ MORE

On Sunday afternoon I was at the theater with my entire family to see the lovely new family film The Secret World of Arrietty, along with another family from our church. Each of our families has six kids, and my cousin was also with us, making 17 in all.

While I was standing on line to buy tickets, there was an announcement that a screening had sold out: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, a nominal sequel to the action-adventure family flick Journey to the Center of the Earth, with a pec-popping Dwayne Johnson replacing Brendan Frasier. No one thinks Journey 2 is a masterpiece, probably not even The Rock, and yet it’s selling out theaters in its second weekend.

Two box-office windows...READ MORE