Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

New Ignatius Press novel Barely a Crime “is what all first-rate thrillers should be...."

"... terrifying, fast-paced and impossible to put down”
 
San Francisco, March 29, 2016 – In this new gripping thriller by novelist Robert Ovies, Barely a Crime, two men from the Northern Irish underworld are recruited by an enigmatic stranger for a shadowy operation. Promising to make them very rich without involving them in theft or murder, the job seems too good to be true; in fact, it seems to be barely a crime.
 
When Crawl and Kieran discover the identity of the man who has hired them for the break-in of the century, they realize they might be involving themselves in a high-stakes technological breakthrough, leading them to devise a scheme for demanding a bigger payout. As the law of unintended consequences kicks in, so do life-and-death consequences, not only for themselves, not only for many others, but for the whole world.
 
When asked if the novel addressed any particularly significant contemporary issue, author Robert Ovies answered, “If Barely a Crime has a moral, I’d vote for: ‘Trying to play God is a dangerous, dangerous game.’”
 
Piers Paul Read, author of The Death of a Pope, says, “Based on an intriguing premise, Barely a Crime holds the reader from start to finish.”

“Ovies paints a disturbingly compelling snapshot of a criminal underworld. With a strong narrative replete with startling twists and turns, a taut plot and believable characters, Barely a Crime is what all first-rate thrillers should be: terrifying, fast-paced and impossible to put down,” explains Fiorella de Maria, author of Do No Harm.
 
Lucy Beckett, author of A Postcard from the Volcano, says, “Robert Ovies is an excellent thriller writer. Barely a Crime moves at a cracking pace, has a complicated and ingenious plot and sustains tension through some hair-raising scenes. A gripping read, with a thoroughly scary scientific fantasy at its core.”

“Barely a Crime is Christ-haunted in the same manner that the novels and stories of Flannery O'Connor are, and it is a gripping and cliff-hanging story, glowing with doom-laden gravitas in the gloom of sin and prideful passion,” says Joseph Pearce, author of Catholic Literary Giants.
 
“From the very beginning this book will grab you by the lapel and drag you into a story of thrilling mystery, madness and thought-provoking grace. It weaves a tale of incremental depravity and redemption with characters who struggle to escape the impetus of their wounded past, and the fears, doubts and latent anger that has come to define them,” says Michael Richards, author of Tobit’s Dog.
 
About the Author:
Robert Ovies, a former advertising executive, is a Catholic deacon. He has a master’s in social work, and with his wife he served as a mission worker on Arizona’s Navajo Reservation. For ten years, they were live-in directors of a communal halfway house in the Detroit area. His first novel was The Rising.
 
Robert Ovies, the author of Barely a Crime, is available for interviews about this book.

To request a review copy or an interview with Robert Ovies, please contact:
Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press at (239) 867-4180 or [email protected]
 
Product Facts:
Title: BARELY A CRIME
A Novel
Editor: Robert Ovies
Release Date: March 2016
Length: 222 pages
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-1-62164-089-9 • Softcover
Order: 1-800-651-1531 • www.ignatius.com

Read the first chapter of "Barely a Crime: A Novel"

Read the first chapters of the novel Barely a Crime by Robert Ovies. If you like what you’re reading, visit the novel’s page to learn more or order!

PROLOGUE

Kieran Lynch was born in a pine bed in his parents’ lower flat in West Belfast, Ireland, on a night that was, for the middle of summer, unusually cold.

His mother, Maureen, cried and laughed out loud when she saw her new son wailing in the Widow Shea’s fat hands, free of his umbilical cord and his purple coloring, his hair already as black as pitch.

Kieran’s father, who was called Thomas rather than Tom and who had stayed downstairs in the kitchen with Kieran’s four-year-old sister, Colleen, let out a whoop at the sound of his firstborn son crying and his wife laughing. With little Colleen bouncing in his arms, he danced like the sailor he had been for more than ten of his forty-seven years, wheeling in tight little circles toward the stairs leading to the upstairs bedroom, where he knew that everything was surely better than fine.

A sharp knock at the back door interrupted his dance and his momentum; a knock at the back door meant friends or relatives, for sure.

Thomas hesitated, undecided about the moment’s highest priority.

A second knock sounded as the Widow Shea rushed red-faced and beaming down the stairs and fairly shouted to the proud new father, “Well, for heaven’s sake, you’d better come see your own handsome son, man!” She rushed to gather up Colleen as Thomas’ wife called his name from upstairs and laughed out loud again, bright as a bell.

But the knock sounded again, this time more insistent than before, so Thomas exclaimed, “God’s breath. This’d better be good!” and took four quick steps to open the door.

Continue reading at IPNovels.com.

When Machines Are Wiser than their Programmers

(us.fotolia.com | agsandrew)

When Machines Are Wiser than their Programmers | Dr. R. Jared Staudt | CWR

How do we decide on how to program computers when we don’t know how to live our own lives?

Sci-fi is now reality. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence truly baffles the mind, though not the imagination. Long envisioned in fiction, the creation of “intelligent” computers has arrived and not just for research purposes. Projects are underway to entrust transportation, commerce, and even warfare into the hands of autonomous robots.

In the growth of artificial intelligence one key question emerges. How do we judge the morality of robotic choices? This of course only intensifies the debate about human morality itself. In order to program morality one must understand the nature of morality. Materialists envision morality solely in terms of the mechanics of the brain and thus envision replicating this material process in computers. If the essence of morality resides in our spiritual soul (even if working through the material brain) then it would be impossible to replicate a moral sense or conscience.

The attempt to replicate morality became apparent recently in a project at Google. In a “conversation” with an “intelligent” computer the following dialogue emerged, which reveals the heart of the controversy:

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

New from Ignatius Press: "Tweeting with God"

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Tweeting with God: #Big Bang, prayer, Bible, sex, Crusades, sin, career

by Fr. Michel Remery

If you are curious, you ask questions - even about difficult topics. Can Catholic teaching provide answers relevant to your life today? In this book you will find 200 daring questions from young people about God, faith, prayer and morality. Fr. Michel Remery thoughtfully answers them all in Tweets of 140 characters or less, and provides expanded explanations based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible.

Fr. Remery shows how faith is logical, even in the 21st century! He introduces you to Jesus, shows you how to pray, and explains the sacraments. He explores some of the more difficult chapters of Church history, and helps you to discover what it means to live a good and purposeful life.

This book is ideal for:

• young men and women who are curious about the Catholic faith
• new Catholics and current catechumens
• anyone who wants to share his faith or freshen up his knowledge of the faith
• those who want to speak with others about the faith

It is lavishly illustrated with color images on every page of the book.

Fr. Michel Remery is a Dutch Catholic priest. After studying architecture at the university level, he worked for the Dutch Royal Air Force and then an engineering company in the Baltic States. Later, after finishing his theological studies in Rome, he completed a dissertation at the Pontifical Gregorian University on the relationship between liturgy and architecture. He was a member of an advisory commission for new media and youth at the Vatican Internet Service and worked with young people and university students in Leiden, Netherlands. He is currently vice secretary general of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE).

Praise for Tweeting with God:

“Combines  the timeless teaching of our faith with the best of modern technology.”
– @cardinaldolan, Archbishop of New York

“Provides a sound, concise summary of Church teaching.”
– Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco

 “Important pages for helping us to become the missionary disciples that we are meant to be.”
– Most Rev. Jose Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles

“ #Fact: Tweeting with God is ingenious, timely, and attuned to the fast-paced, on-the-go, new-media dimension of the New Evangelization.”
– @PatrickMadrid, Host of "Patrick Madrid Show"

“To learn how to effectively share your faith in the digital age, let Fr. Remery be your guide. No topic is off limits. He calmly accepts all questions about God, faith, morality, and the Church, using the Twitter-verse to probe the universe.”
– @BrandonVogt, Content Director, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

“Fr. Remery proves that employing the platform of Twitter to learn about, enthusiastically share, and fall in love with our Catholic faith can indeed have great impact on both the sender and the recipient. A must-have for anyone  who desires to share their voice in the New Evangelization.”
– Lisa Hendey, Founder, CatholicMom.com

Surprising Lessons from Ten Million YouTube Views

Surprising Lessons from Ten Million YouTube Views | Fr. Robert Barron | CWR blog

The printing press constituted a revolution, and something very similar, but even more explosive, is at work today

Just last month, my media ministry Word on Fire marked a milestone: 10,000,000 views on our YouTube channel. This achievement fills me with gratitude both to God and to the many people who have taken the time to watch one or more of the videos that I’ve produced over the past several years. It also provides the occasion for me to reflect a bit on both the pitfalls and advantages of evangelizing through the new media.

When we commenced our outreach through YouTube seven years ago, we did so in the manner of an experiment. YouTube had just come into being at that time, and it largely featured crude, homemade videos of cats jumping off the roof and babies gurgling for their mother’s camcorder. I thought that we should try to invade this space with the Gospel and so I resolved to make short video commentaries on movies, music, current affairs, cultural happenings, etc. We had absolutely no idea whether anyone would watch, and at first, our offerings garnered just a small audience. I distinctly remember being thrilled when one of our videos managed to pass the 500 views mark for the first time.

But over the months and years, word spread, and we began to build an audience. The first video of ours to go viral was my response to Bill Maher’s awful movie “Religulous.” In the course of a few weeks, it had been seen by 100,000 people, and it continues to perform well, even to the present. In fact, the atheists have been my most active friends on the Internet. Whenever I do a video on Maher or Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking, I get a strong reaction and lots of views.

One of the features of YouTube that I appreciate the most is its interactivity.

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Casualties of the Device Age

(© Rawpixel - Fotolia.com)

Casualties of the Device Age | Thomas M. Doran | CWR blog

Technology is not bad in itself but technological advances correspond to a decline in the ability to reason, contemplation, and self-discipline

I have an idea for a science fiction story featuring a race of brilliant creatures that invade Earth.

Wait a minute, you’re saying. This story has been told a thousand times, and better than you can tell it!

Not so fast, say I. This time, the invaders are militarily inept: no destructive weapons, electromagnetic rays, biological agents. These beings “benignly”, and clandestinely, help us to invent calculating machines; then computers; then PCs; then the host of communication, information, and entertainment devices we have today.

You probably suspect that the invaders plan to make these devices so intelligent and so powerful that they take control of mankind, or maybe the aliens intend to introduce brain-controlling waves into these devices to hypnotize the human race.

Nope. These creatures merely wait patiently for humans to become dependent on, and addicted to, these devices. When the vast majority of the human race is incapable of thinking and deciding for themselves, the invaders arrive and take control, to the delight of humans who can’t be bothered with anything, except the entertainment and stimulation these devices provide.

Maybe my aliens are similar to Isaac Asimov’s Second Foundation, or The Twilight Zone’s Monsters on Maple Street, or the world controllers of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, but none of these anticipated the extent to which personal devices have transformed human perception and behavior.

Many of us are close to this disassociated, even somnambulistic, state today, and almost all of us—if we are honest with ourselves—fall into this rut occasionally.

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

The present, future, and quality of Catholic online education

The present, future, and quality of Catholic online education | CWR Staff | Catholic World Report

An interview with Patrick Carmack, President of the Ignatius-Angelicum Liberal Studies Program, about Catholic online education, technology, and Great Books

Patrick S. J. Carmack, J.D. is the President of the Ignatius-Angelicum Liberal Studies Program, and the founder of the Angelicum Academy Homeschool Program and of the Great Books Academy Homeschool Program (2000 AD). In addition to earning his Juris Doctorate, Patrick has completed additional courses in psychology and philosophy, as well as studies at the Institute of Spirituality at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (the “Angelicum”). He is a former Judge at the Oklahoma State Corporation Commission, member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, former CEO of an independent petroleum exploration and production company, founder and former Chairman of the International Caspian Horse Society, and President of a non-profit educational foundation.

Patrick was a participant in Dr. Mortimer J. Adler’s last several Socratic discussion groups in Maryland and California in 1999 and 2000, and he moderated the first live-audio Socratic groups online and numerous online groups since. He has spoken on educational topics at various conferences in the U.S. and in Europe. He is the recipient of the International Etienne Society’s Pope John Paul the Great Thomist Humanist Award for his work in education.

He recently spoke with Catholic World Report about the Catholic online education, the pros and cons of online technology for learning, and the Ignatius-Angelicum Liberal Studies Program.

CWR: Online education has had exponential growth in the last decade; has Catholic online education kept pace?

Patrick S. J. Carmack: No, but it is catching up. There is a conservative tendency in Catholic education with respect to the use of modern technology, which results in a reluctance to embrace it. This is probably partly due to a kind of nostalgia for the golden age of Catholic education in the scholasticism of the High Middle Ages and the later, very successful Jesuit pedagogy developed during the Counter-Reformation period. But there is another reason as well, one articulated by Marshall and Eric McLuhan, which recognizes that technology and media themselves change us, and hence society, regardless of the content. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this, but overall the changes are troubling, especially if one connects them to the increasing secularization of the West, where technological change is most rapid. In a word, there is a dehumanizing element to technology that disembodies us to some degree—a discarnation of a sort. That, of course, runs counter to the Catholic love of all reality, including the body and the incarnational aspect of the faith.

CWR: It is surprising to hear you criticize educational technology since you work so much with it. Are you opposed to the use of technology in education, to online classes for instance?

Carmack: Yes, and no.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

A Christian Way of Being Present in the Digital World

A Christian Way of Being Present in the Digital World | Michael J. Miller | Catholic World Report

A new (and free) e-book compiles messages by Pope Benedict XVI about social communications

When Pope Benedict XVI opened a Twitter account in December 2012, it was not a publicity stunt but rather the logical development of Vatican involvement in the communications media that began with the founding of L’Osservatore Romano in the nineteenth and Vatican Radio in the twentieth century. The Second Vatican Council issued a brief Decree on the Means of Social Communication (Inter mirifica) at the conclusion of its second session in 1963, declaring that “it is the Church’s birthright to use and own any of these media which are necessary or useful for the formation of Christians and for pastoral activity” (IM 3).

The intense multi-media coverage of the Council itself seemed to herald a new era of Catholic presence in the public forum. Televised papal Masses—whether at midnight on Christmas, on pastoral journeys or at World Youth Days—became a regular feature in the life of the Church and in her outreach to the modern world. The Vatican’s website www.vatican.va and its recently consolidated news portal www.news.va are invaluable online resources.

In September 2013 the Pontifical Council for Social Communications expanded this development in yet another direction by publishing in e-book format a collection of the World Communications Day messages by Pope Benedict XVI. These annual messages are all dated January 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, but were promulgated later in the year during the Easter season. Pope Benedict composed eight of them for the years 2006-2013 inclusive to offer his “reflection on some aspect of communication with a view to both promoting public discussion and providing some guidelines for the Church’s own engagement in this constitutive dimension of its mission” (from the Introduction by Abp. Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications). The e-book is free and can be downloaded from the Vatican website.

Some of the messages have themes geared to other Church events, such as the Year of the Priest (2010) or World Youth Days.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Catholics, Atheists, and the “Digital Areopagus”

 

Catholics, Atheists, and the “Digital Areopagus” | CWR Staff | Catholic World Report

An interview with author and blogger Brandon Vogt about StrangeNotions.com

Brandon Vogt apparently does not sleep very much. He is an author, blogger, and speaker, as well as an engineer, husband, and father. His first book was titled The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet (Our Sunday Visitor, 2011), and included a Foreword by Cardinal Sean O'Malley and an Afterword by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

Brandon’s most recent project is the site, StrangeNotions.com, which is “designed to be the central place of dialogue online between Catholics and atheists. Its implicit goal is to bring non-Catholics to faith--especially followers of the so-called New Atheism. As a 'digital Areopagus', the site will include intelligent articles, compelling video, and rich discussion through its comment boxes.” It is, Brandon says, “the first English apostolate dedicated solely to reaching atheists and agnostics.” He recently answered some questions put to him by Catholic World Report. 

CWR: There are countless Catholic websites, many of them dedicated to apologetics and evangelization. What is unique about StrangeNotions.com?

Brandon Vogt: Well, first the aim. Few other sites exclusively engage atheists. Most focus on Protestant apologetics, which is certainly needed, but the issues there are quite different than those relevant to non-believers. For example, at Strange Notions we don't really focus on Marian dogmas, purgatory, or the liturgy. We're concerned with more basic questions about God's existence, cosmology, morality, miracles, science, and the reliability of the Gospels. We must solidify these foundational issues before the second-level issues become important.

Second, the tone. We're all familiar with the typical online religious discussion. If not, just visit any secular newspaper site and scroll down to the comments. They're full of snark, shallowness, and slander. But Strange Notions is not like that. We've done several things to ensure the dialogue remains serious and charitable, and in the site's first weeks it seems to have worked. Our tight comment policy and several moderators have kept the discussions fair and on point.

Third, the contributors really differentiate this site from others. I've gathered the best-of-the-best Catholic intellects to contribute content including Dr. Peter Kreeft, Dr. Edward Feser, Fr. Robert Barron, Fr. Robert Spitzer, Dr. Benjamin Wiker, Dr. Christopher Kaczor, Dr. Janet Smith, Dr. Kevin Vost, Christopher West,  Jimmy Akin, Jennifer Fulwiler, Marc Barnes, Leah Libresco, Stacy Trascanos, Mark Shea, Tim Staples, Carl Olson, and many more. Right now we have over thirty contributors and we're continuing to add more. The hope is that this website becomes the definitive Catholic response to atheism--the best of our rich theological and philosophical tradition.

Finally, we have some exciting plans in the works to set the site apart, including interactive YouTube debates and video interviews with popular atheists and Catholics. So stay tuned!

CWR: Why the specific focus on atheism?

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

 







Meet Fr. Roderick Vönhogen, the "podcasting priest"

Fr. Roderick Vönhogen and the author in St. Peter's Square.

by John Paul Shimek | Catholic World Report

Known as the “podcasting priest,” Fr. Roderick Vönhogen is a pioneer in the new social media. His podcast program “The Catholic Insider” draws an audience from around the globe. Each week, listeners in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand tune in to his hour-long show. It was his audience’s enthusiasm for the show that inspired him to launch the Star Quest Production Network (or, SQPN), one of worldwide Catholicism’s most popular media platforms in the service of the new evangelization. 

Last week, I had a chance to sit down to dinner with Fr. Roderick near the Vatican. Over Italian pizza, pasta, patate fritte, and vino rosso, we talked about the challenges and promises of a digitized Church.
 
Although Fr. Roderick hails from Holland, his English is flawless and his imitations of Australian and British accents are pitch-perfect. While he can proclaim the Gospel in numerous national languages – he speaks Dutch, German, French, and Italian – it is his infectious cheerfulness that best communicates the message of Christ and the Church. Several times, our dinner table shook as we busted up laughing. More than a media mogul with exceptional talent, Fr. Roderick is a priest alive in Christ Jesus – a man who has been surprised with the generous love of God. And, he communicates the goia Christiana like few others.

Since Fr. Roderick launched his English-language podcast program in 2005, he has traveled the world, broadcasting Christ’s message to countless listeners. He has done shows in his native Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa. He will be in Rio de Janeiro for the 2013 World Youth Day, which is scheduled for July 23-28. Along the road, Fr. Roderick has had some surprising adventures and he has encountered some demanding challenges, as well. In 2005, just moments after Pope John Paul II died, he broadcast a high-speed bike chase toward St. Peter’s Square where he joined pilgrims beneath the windows of the papal apartment.

Fr. Roderick got started in media when he studied social communications at the Pontifical Gregorian University here in Rome.

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Lost in Translation (from Latin)?

Lost in Translation (from Latin)? | Christopher S. Morrissey | Catholic World Report

Pope Benedict XVI sent out his first tweet in Latin today. Lessons in Latin now follow.

The Pope finally sent out his first tweet in Latin from his Twitter account @Pontifex_ln on Sunday, January 20, 2013: “Unitati christifidelium integre studentes quid iubet Dominus? Orare semper, iustitiam factitare, amare probitatem, humiles Secum ambulare.”

The Pope immediately followed it up with translations into the languages of his other Twitter accounts. He translated the Latin via his English language account @Pontifex this way: “What does the Lord ask of us as we work for Christian unity? To pray constantly, do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with Him.”

But the news service Reuters performed a valuable service by quoting the University of Cambridge scholar Tamer Nawar, who teased out a more nuanced translation of the Latin: “What does the Lord command to those wholly eager for the unity of those following Christ? To always pray, to continually do justice, to love uprightness, to walk humbly with Him.”

True, Nawar’s translation sounds more clunky in English than the Pope’s English tweet. But it certainly exhibits an appreciation of all the subtlety packed into the Latin tweet. For me, it demonstrates why knowledge of Latin is indispensable. Namely, that it can help one become attuned to subtleties and nuances of thought that would otherwise be missed.

Perhaps my favorite part of the Pope’s inaugural Latin tweet is his use of the verb “factitare” in relation to “justice”, since “factitare” has the connotation of “to make or do frequently; to be wont to make or do; to practice.”

Indeed, I’m very happy with the Pope’s first Latin tweet, but I was in a bit of a sour mood because of the press coverage leading up to it. That coverage had me wishing for the impossible, that the Pope’s first Latin tweet would be a sarcastic: “ROMANES EUNT DOMUS”.

If you don’t get the joke, then Google the phrase and watch Monty Python’s famous Latin lesson, in which a Roman soldier corrects the graffiti of an empire rebel. 

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

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"Reports of the death of the printed book may be exaggerated."

So writes Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, in a recent WSJ piece. Carr writes:

Half a decade into the e-book revolution, though, the prognosis for traditional books is suddenly looking brighter. Hardcover books are displaying surprising resiliency. The growth in e-book sales is slowing markedly. And purchases of e-readers are actually shrinking, as consumers opt instead for multipurpose tablets. It may be that e-books, rather than replacing printed books, will ultimately serve a role more like that of audio books—a complement to traditional reading, not a substitute.

How attached are Americans to old-fashioned books? Just look at the results of a Pew Research Center survey released last month. The report showed that the percentage of adults who have read an e-book rose modestly over the past year, from 16% to 23%. But it also revealed that fully 89% of regular book readers said that they had read at least one printed book during the preceding 12 months. Only 30% reported reading even a single e-book in the past year.

What's more, the Association of American Publishers reported that the annual growth rate for e-book sales fell abruptly during 2012, to about 34%. That's still a healthy clip, but it is a sharp decline from the triple-digit growth rates of the preceding four years.

However, the Pew Research Center survey (from Dec. 27, 2012) that Carr cites is titled, "E-book Reading Jumps; Print Book Reading Declines", which begs the question: is this a glass half full/half empty conversation? Lee Rainie and Maeve Duggan, the authors of the survey, state:

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Ignatius Press launches www.TolkienLewisBooks.com

 “In Tolkien’s view the important secret of the human heart is this longing for the real happy ending.  And the most important thing about this longing is that it can be satisfied.”
— Richard Purtill, from his book Lord of the Elves and Eldils: Fantasy and Philosophy in J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis

Millions of people the world over have read J.R.R. Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and millions more have read C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. And perhaps just as many have seen the films based on these works. But not too many realize the deep Christian underpinnings of the works of both men.
 
Ignatius Press has launched a new website, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: Masters of Christian Storytelling (www.TolkienLewisBooks.com) which delves into the profound religious background of Tolkien and Lewis. Featuring books by best-selling authors such as Peter Kreeft, Joseph Pearce, Richard Purtill and others, video links featuring presentations by many of the same authors, and a plethora of articles on Lewis, Tolkien, and the Inklings, this site offers a goldmine of information for anyone wanting a closer look at the mythic worlds of Middle Earth and Narnia.
 
Some sample links:
 
Books exploring the life and writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.
http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/tolkien-and-lewis/tolkienbooks.html

Contemporary Christian fiction in the footsteps of Tolkien and Lewis.
http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/tolkien-and-lewis/novels.html

Articles on Tolkien and Lewis.
http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/tolkien-and-lewis/articles.html

A one-hour video of a talk by Catholic novelist Michael D. O’Brien on “Catholic Fiction and Restoring Culture”.
http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/tolkien-and-lewis/obrien.html

Ignatius Press author Joseph Pearce on EWTN Live discussing Tolkien, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.
http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/tolkien-and-lewis/pearce.html

Pornography, Masturbation, and the Confessor

Pornography, Masturbation, and the Confessor | John M. Grondelski | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

The spread of pornography is a new pastoral challenge for confessors, but I want to suggest that there is another moral issue which is often overlooked in the discussion over pornography.

Confessors today undoubtedly note an increase in a phenomenon that other social observers have also noticed: a growth in use of, as well as addiction to, pornography.  Two factors are particularly responsible for that spread of pornography: ever easier access, and a growing cultural toleration.

The former is primarily a result of the internet.  Whereas once upon a time, pornography had to be sought out in seedy neighborhoods, or bought furtively—both social conditions which helped tamp down on its spread. Today, pornography is universally available with just a few clicks on a computer.

The latter is a more complex phenomenon.  While undoubtedly the greater availability of pornography is, in some measure, responsible for its social toleration, social acquiescence in pornography is more complex than that.  A progressive corrosion of public morality owes its roots to the so-called “sexual revolution” of the 1960s/1970s, which attacked the notion of public morality itself, as well as ingraining the message that personal pleasure and “fulfillment” is the be-all, and end-all, of sex.  The spread of pornography is, like abortion, also an instance where sexual ethics have been “dumbed down” to general male standards rather than raised to general female standards.

What do I mean?  In the case of abortion, justification for “a woman’s right to choose,” when most abortions occur for reasons of convenience, means that society acquiesces to a general male promiscuity, while providing a utilitarian solution for women to avoid having to bear the consequences, and the child.  In the case of pornography, its spread is also in some measure an acquiescence in general male promiscuity: men want sex, so women need to match male images and expectations.  Men shouldn’t become more chaste; women should become more provocative.  Pamela Paul identified this trend in 2005, rightly coining a term to describe it: we are being “pornified.” 1

The spread of pornography is, indeed, a new pastoral challenge for confessors, but I want to suggest that there is another moral issue, lurking here in the background, which also deserves to be taken seriously, and which is often overlooked in the discussion over pornography.  That issue is masturbation.  Masturbation is typically the “silent partner” in pornography use and addiction.  Its powerful erotic experience plays no small part in cementing an attraction to pornography.  When addressing the issue of pornography, masturbation is often overshadowed and, indeed, overlooked. But this essay aims to lay out a more explicit connection between pornography and masturbation, providing some ways for this vicious relationship to be addressed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Catholic teaching on masturbation was among the second tier casualties in the rebellion against Catholic sexual ethics, unleashed by contraception and the dissent against Humanae Vitae.  While the immediate bone of contention against the encyclical was an effort to justify contraception, at least in certain instances, the rejection of Humanae Vitae targeted its central moral teaching, i.e., that there is an “inseparable connection, established by God, which man, on his own initiative, may not break, between the unitive significance, and the procreative significance, which are both inherent to the marriage act.” 2

Continue reading at HPRweb.com.

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The previous version of this email contained broken links - these have been fixed. To donate to CWR, please click here. Thank you, and our apologies for the inconvenience! In the last year, CWR has brought you twice the value of a yearly print subscription—for FREE!   Dear CWR Reader:   When I took on the responsibilities of editor for Catholic World Report, I wrote that I did so “with a mixture of trepidation and optimism: trepidation because I am keenly aware of the standard of excellence that CWR has maintained for two decades, and optimism because I think CWR has much to offer its readers in the years to come, and I believe the Internet provides a means of responding to events and news with a flexibility and immediacy not always available with print.”   I further noted that the usual print edition of CWR, which was published from 1991 to 2011, contained nine or ten feature articles, interviews, and book reviews, along with editorials, short news pieces, and a column or two. We intended, going forward with an online-only CWR, to post two or three features a week, along with regular blog posts and news briefs.    And all for free, available online all day, every day.    I’m happy to say, eleven months later, that those expectations have been met and exceeded. Since January 2012, almost 200 feature articles, interviews, reviews, and essays have been posted on the CWR site. And that number does not include the hundreds of posts on the CWR blog, many of them feature-length, written by the CWR staff and several of CWR’s regular contributors.    In other words, in terms of content, CWR has been posting two full print editions worth of content every month!    While some readers miss the print edition, the response these past few months to CWR online has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. And traffic to the CWR site has increased every month, which indicates that CWR does indeed have much to offer readers in the months and years to come.    However, CWR needs your help in order to continue providing high-quality news features, interviews, and much more. Yes, eliminating the print edition of CWR reduced some costs. Frankly, it saved CWR. But offering the magazine online for free—without subscription revenue—also has costs. In order to compensate contributors, to improve and expand the CWR website, and to pursue new initiatives to make CWR even more effective, I am asking you to consider donating to CWR.    I know how tough times are.  And I know that not everyone can support CWR financially. That said, I strongly believe CWR is worthy of support; I think it provides a valuable service, presenting Catholic news, analysis, and commentary from a serious and orthodox Catholic perspective.    A yearly subscription to the print edition of CWR was $40.00. Perhaps you could donate that amount to CWR today. Or $20, $10, or $5. Or $100, $200, or $500. Whatever you can do will help! CLICK HERE to donate to CWR. Please know that all of us at CWR value your support—financial, moral, or spiritual support. And please know that CWR will continue to pursue excellence in writing and reporting, reviewing and editorializing, all for the sake of the truth, the Gospel, and the Church of Christ.  Pax Christi,   Carl E. Olson Editor, Catholic World Report

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Live Web Event with Dale Ahlquist, November 14th

UPDATE (Nov. 12, 2012): The original post had an incorrect link for the Live Stream; that has been corrected.

EVENT: Author Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society, will host a live Web event to discuss and field questions about his new book, The Complete Thinker: The Marvelous Mind of G.K. Chesterton.

WHEN: 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012.

WHERE: Online at www.LiveStream.com/IgnatiusPress. RSVPs encouraged.

FORMAT: Ahlquist will open with general comments about the book and his reasons for writing it, then will take questions from participants through the website, Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

• Why do people consider Chesterton a “complete thinker?”
• What sets Chesterton apart from other writers of his generation?
• How is it that he was able to write about so many different things?
• What are the valid criticisms of Chesterton’s body of work?

Ahlquist leads readers on a tour of Chesterton’s works – and thoughts. He masterfully combines Chesterton’s works with his own analysis to show how and why Chesterton was, indeed, THE COMPLETE THINKER.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dale Ahlquist is the president and co-founder of the American Chesterton Society, and co-founder of the Chesterton Academy – a high school in Minneapolis, Minn. He also serves as chairman of the annual G. K. Chesterton Conference at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.). He is perhaps best known for creating and hosting the EWTN television series:  “G. K. Chesterton:  The Apostle of Common Sense.”  The first episodes aired in 2000-2001. Ahlquist is one of the most respected Chesterton scholars in the world. His other books on the beloved 20^th-century Catholic literary giant include Common Sense 101: Lesson from G.K. Chesterton (Ignatius Press); G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense- a bestseller (Ignatius Press); Lepanto (Ignatius Press); and In Defense of Sanctity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton.

For more information, to request a review copy of The Complete Thinker or schedule an interview with Dale Ahlquist, please contact Kelly Kracht (651-470-3854 or [email protected]) or Kevin Wandra (678-990-9032 or [email protected]) of The Maximus Group.

20% off new, recently released books and films, through Aug. 28th

20% off New and Recently Released Books and Films!

Great new releases are now available from Ignatius Press including Mark: Meditations on the Gospel of Mark, The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest and The Confessions: Saint Augustine of Hippo. Ignatius Press has historical, inspirational and educational stories for all ages. And don't forget to check out our new DVDs! They showcase equally inspirational and educational themes as our books do such as Cosmic Origins, The Culture of Life and Padre Pro, only in a different format. Get any or all of the titles offered below at 20% off!

There are only two weeks left in the Ignatius Press Summer Sale. Make sure to take advantage of these great prices before it's too late! (To see the entire list of sale items, click here.)

Enter the Digital Continent of Preaching

Fr. Fred Gaglia, Ph.D. | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Our preachers must lead people to align themselves with the Church, filling the chasm of the past two or more generations of those not in touch with this treasury of truth. The goal is eternal salvation, the growth of the Church is in the balance.

Enter the “digital continent.” This term was coined by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 to define the world of social media that has transformed patterns of communication and human relationships. It seems a new light is dawning on this “continent” for preaching as well, according to his letters to the Pontifical Council on Communications over the last two years.  His May 16, 2010, message for the 44th World Communications Day, entitled, “The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word,” reveals the Holy Father’s vision for our age: using new media as a tool for preaching. The following excerpt speaks especially to young men preparing for priestly ministry:

Responding adequately to this challenge amid today’s cultural shifts, to which young people are especially sensitive, necessarily involves using new communications technologies. The world of digital communication, with its almost limitless expressive capacity, makes us appreciate all the more St. Paul’s exclamation: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16). The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts. Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service   of the Word. 1

Clearly, the Holy Father is talking about the responsible use of social media (the Internet, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter), by those called to proclaim the Word. This amounts to acquiring better focus in our pastoral response.

On February 7, 2011, the Holy Father took up this topic again in his most recent address to the plenary assembly of the Congregation for Catholic Education:

In these days you also studied the draft of the document on the Internet and formation in the seminaries. Because of its capacity to surmount distances and put people in mutual contact, the Internet presents great possibilities also for the Church and her mission. With the necessary discernment for its intelligent and prudent use, it is an instrument that can serve not only for studies, but also for the pastoral action of future presbyters in different ecclesial fields, such as evangelization, missionary action, catechesis, educational projects, and the management of institutes. Also of extreme importance in this field is to be able to count on adequately prepared formators who will be faithful guides and always up-to-date, in order to support the candidates to the priesthood in the correct and positive use of the media. 2

His insights set the stage for updating seminary homiletics courses to include chapters on how to enhance preaching through the use of digital media. There is no avoiding it. Now is the time for us to consider how to eliminate the word “boring” from the feedback of the people regarding preaching in most Catholic parishes. You know the statistics concerning Mass attendance. Preaching using the new media may improve those statistics by keeping more in tune with people on the digital continent.

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Media Alert: "UnPlanned" Author Abby Johnson "Exposes the Lie"

EVENT: UnPlanned Author Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood® abortion clinic, will host a one-time-only webcast featuring other former abortion-industry workers who will blow the whistle on the organization and the industry – and discuss a plan for real change.
 
WHEN: 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT, 5 p.m. PT) tonight – Monday, June 11, 2012.
 
WHERE: Online at http://exposingthelie.com/ – RSVPs encouraged.
 
ABOUT THE WEBCAST:  During this one-time-only webcast, Johnson and other former abortion-industry workers will discuss:

• How workers are the weak link in the abortion business, and how their unique knowledge and experience provides a road map for how to close down abortion facilities from the inside …
• Why people go to work in the abortion industry — and what can be done to help them experience conversions and quit their jobs …
• The growing number of abortion workers who feel betrayed and want out — and what is already being done to assist them …
• The brand-new ministry that is being launched to help many more abortion workers find hope and healing — and share the truth about what they experienced inside Planned Parenthood and other abortion operations …
• And how YOU can help make this a reality!
 
ABOUT THE BOOK:  In UnPlanned, Johnson tells the dramatic story of the journey that unfolded as a result of a fateful day in September 2009 when a co-worker asked her for help with a patient in the Planned Parenthood® clinic she ran – how she literally “crossed the fence” from Planned Parenthood® leader to an advocate fighting for women in crisis – and the lives of their unborn babies. Ignatius Press published the Catholic edition of UnPlanned.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Abby Johnson is a convert to Catholicism who left her job as director of a Planned Parenthood® clinic in Texas to join the Pro Life movement – after assisting in an abortion procedure.

For more information, to request a review copy of UnPlanned or schedule an interview with Abby Johnson, please contact Kevin Wandra of The Maximus Group at (678) 990-9032 or [email protected].

The SSPX and the Electronic Grapevine

The SSPX and the Electronic Grapevine | Michael J. Miller | Catholic World Report

Document leaks fuel speculation about schism within the SSPX on the eve of major CDF meeting.

A letter by the General Superior of the Society of St. Pius X clarifying his response to Rome’s Doctrinal Preamble was submitted to the Vatican on April 17 and now awaits review on May 16 by the “Wednesday meeting” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The cardinals and bishops of the CDF will discuss Bishop Bernard Fellay’s response, and then deliver their individual opinions and reasons to the Holy Father. After studying the dossier, Benedict XVI will decide whether or not to reinstate the Society of St. Pius X canonically as an approved apostolic society of priests in the Catholic Church.  

Meanwhile, two private letters written in early April—one by the three other bishops of the SSPX and a response to it by Bishop Fellay and his two assistants—were anonymously posted on the Internet. This was the first major leak from within the Society since they began their theological discussions with the CDF in 2009. The contents of the letters should surprise no one who has heard or read public statements by the same writers:  Bishops Tissier de Mallerais, Galarreta and Williamson sternly warn that negotiations with Rome are a trap that will lead to assimilation and compromise with the principles of Tradition; Bishop Fellay urges his brother bishops to take a supernatural view of the Church and to consider the vast improvement in the Society’s situation vis-à-vis Rome in recent years. 

The manner in which these two documents were leaked is itself newsworthy. Almost immediately after the confidential letters were posted online, a friend notified the editor of the Traditional-Catholic blog Rorate Coeli, who downloaded a copy of each. He reported the leak on May 9, while refusing on principle to divulge the contents. On May 10 he described the formats of the respective documents: a PDF file created on April 19 of the actual letter signed and sent by Bishop Fellay on April 14, and a PDF file created on April 5 of an unsigned draft version of the earlier letter from the three bishops (eventually dated April 7), together with a .DOC file containing an English translation thereof. 

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.