The Narthex
New Oxford Blog

Loose Language
Language evolves, expanding and economizing, and devolves, erasing distinctions and richness
By James Hanink | August 5th 2021 3:02 PMLoose lips sink ships! When Nazi submarines preyed on Atlantic convoys, security measures took on new urgency. Gossip could lead to disaster. Today loose language, though not an impending disaster, is a debilitating phenomenon. I suggest that we “call it out.” When it comes to monitoring language, there is an…
READ FULL BLOG POSTTLC for the TLM
Counsel for the discouraged Traditional Latin Mass faithful
By Barbara Rose | August 4th 2021 7:24 PMPope Francis recently placed excessive restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) with a motu proprio called Traditionis Custodes. TLM communities were shocked, to say the least. The traditionalist website OnePeterFive now features a three-part series by Peter Kwasniewski -- many of whose books have been reviewed in our pages…
READ FULL BLOG POSTHope or Optimism?
True Christian hope reaches far beyond and soars above mere feel-good optimism
By David Daintree | August 3rd 2021 2:22 PMHope and optimism are often confused. An American wit, whose name I can’t recall, once defined a pessimist as “an optimist with the facts.” I must admit I love that kind of pithy, cynical humor that Americans do so well. Such cracks work well because there’s at least a grain…
READ FULL BLOG POSTThe Way Out
An advanced AI computer predicts a global catastrophe in the 2030s
By Richard DellOrfano | July 29th 2021 7:02 PMSelf-anointed prophets have often attempted to pinpoint doomsday. They were obviously wrong. But now, the prophets of scientism are speculating that Earth is due for its Seventh Mass Extinction. A controversial MIT study from 1972 claims we are right on track for a global collapse of civilization by 2040. Historical…
READ FULL BLOG POSTCOVID Data Update
As some medical professionals have warned, the virus will be with us for a long time
By Barbara Rose | July 28th 2021 3:45 PMA year and a half of COVID-time has passed, so it's time for a data update. All along some medical professionals have warned that the virus will be with us for a long time -- this much holds true. Putting aside the endless debates over lockdowns and masks, one cannot…
READ FULL BLOG POSTPrayer for the Pope
Francis’s 'Letter' explaining Latin Mass restrictions ends, 'I pray for you. You pray for me.'
By James Hanink | July 26th 2021 2:07 PMDavid, now a seminary professor and the father of a large family, was among the very best of my students. He introduced our family to what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI would later term the Extraordinary Rite. My wife and I were already receptive. We had grown up with the Latin…
READ FULL BLOG POSTLatin Mass Survey
A look at beliefs held by Traditional Latin Mass attendees
By Barbara Rose | July 22nd 2021 2:31 PMIn order to appreciate what's at stake in the current Church-wide controversy surrounding restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass (TLM), data on Latin Mass attendees is key. A post at LitugyGuy.com, a blog by Fr. Donald Kloster of Norwalk, Connecticut, shows results of a unique national survey of Latin Mass-goers…
READ FULL BLOG POSTNanny State
Secular authorities aim for paradise on earth via micromanagement of citizens
By Richard DellOrfano | July 20th 2021 3:43 PMCalifornia bureaucrats are aiming for more and more control over our lives—with no end in sight. A San Diego county government agency is proposing various options for a mileage tax, anticipating that more electric vehicles will reduce overall gas tax revenues -- currently 51 cents per gallon— by far the…
READ FULL BLOG POSTOur Task
Education is a ground where our cultural battles will be fought
By David Daintree | July 19th 2021 1:44 PMToday, crazy notions spread like wild fire and become wilder as they spread, often claiming the authority of science, and using the muscle of popular mass culture to cower most people into acquiescence, if not belief. We are indeed in the midst of a pandemic, but it’s much bigger than…
READ FULL BLOG POSTElegy on a Rodent
American throw-away culture extends even to pet ownership
By Magdalena Moreno | July 16th 2021 2:09 PMI was raised in a household that had few pets: a fish that lasted about a year, a cat that wound up moving in with the neighbors, and another cat that I insisted on adopting and then promptly left when I moved away for college six months later. Ours…
READ FULL BLOG POSTPursuing Illusions
We are tempted to spend much time and treasure following spiritual dead-ends
By Richard DellOrfano | July 13th 2021 2:08 PMThe summer of 1969, an itinerant Hatha Yoga instructor gave me a ride to Guadalajara, Mexico. Fred was in his seventies but amazingly agile at performing difficult yoga postures for awestruck audiences of retired seniors. We were traveling south on I-25 through New Mexico, a few miles west of the…
READ FULL BLOG POSTAudit of Our Civilization
Modern Westerners stand on the shoulders of giants but seem unable to appreciate the fact
By David Daintree | July 12th 2021 2:06 PMFrom time to time we need to take stock. The history of mankind has not a smooth progression, but more like a series of steps, sometimes short, sometimes long, separated by risers that may be shallow or dramatically steep. Looking backwards, we took many steps that now seem with hindsight…
READ FULL BLOG POSTReading & Writing Obits
The most profound details of a loved one's life often don't make the papers
By James Hanink | July 9th 2021 1:55 PM“Going my way?” Well, not yet. Sooner or later, though. Our word obituary comes from the Latin obire, which means “to go toward.” Many of us read the “obit” when someone famous dies. In such cases the obit was written soon after that someone became famous. That’s standard for the…
READ FULL BLOG POSTGarden Parables
Effective pruning means a thorough removal of branches that once bore fruit
By Magdalena Moreno | July 6th 2021 2:47 PMEvery year we hear the same readings, the same parables, the same analogies: sheep & shepherds; seeds & sowers; vines, branches, weeds & farmers; coins, talents & those who don’t know what to do with them. As we slowly progress through life each parable takes on new meaning as we…
READ FULL BLOG POSTWe Are Church. We Are Trans Church.
Mainstream culture has no real use for a Christianity remade in its image
By Pieter Vree | July 6th 2021 12:47 PMPop quiz: Which major ecclesial body recently described itself as a “trans” church? Need a hint? This ecclesial body is a former state church, and with 5.9 million members is the largest denomination in that nation. Stumped? We’re talking about the Church of Sweden, an Evangelical Lutheran body and the…
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