The Narthex
Catholics Need to Speak Out for Kids
We must not be complicit in political 'discourse' driven by emotions
By John M. Grondelski | June 19th 2025 11:29 AMThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 18 in United States v. Skrmetti that Tennessee’s ban on gender mutilation for minors is constitutional. In 2023, Tennessee adopted SB1, a law prohibiting gender surgery and use of puberty blockers/hormones on “gender dysphoric” minors. The usual suspects sought to block the law, and…
READ FULL BLOG POSTUnmeltable Ethnicity
Stereotypical 'Americanism' distorts the U.S. Church & the two big political parties
By John M. Grondelski | July 22nd 2024 11:34 AMMichael Novak’s The Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics (1972) generated an ethnic pride movement in the 1970s. Americans of Eastern and Southern European ancestry, Latinos, and others came out of the WASP shadows to acknowledge that their heritage remained -- and legitimately remained -- part of their American identity. I…
READ FULL BLOG POSTA Political Realignment Is Afoot
The GOP is again connecting with working- and middle-class people
By John M. Grondelski | July 19th 2024 11:54 AMI’ve been watching the Republican National Convention. Political conventions are not new to me. I got into this stuff as a 16-year-old when I became involved in Ronald Reagan’s 1976 insurgent campaign. So, I’ve seen my share of conventions. There’s a palpable difference this year. You could hear that in…
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