R. R. Reno

1 week ago | firstthings.com | R. R. Reno

War seldom ends according to a satisfying script. Unconditional surrender—the banner headline of 1945—is a historical rarity, the exception, not the rule. More often hostilities conclude in the gray zone of ceasefires, armistices, and grudging diplomatic arrangements. Israel stands in that gray zone now. Its defensive campaign against Iran and the Iranian proxy network seems to have primarily met its battlefield objectives. From a military standpoint, Iran appears to be defeated.

2 weeks ago | firstthings.com | R. R. Reno

The winds of Christian renewal are gathering strength. The Bible Society in Great Britain recently conducted a longitudinal study of Christian practice in England and Wales. The results are published and discussed in “The Quiet Revival.” Researchers found an increase in the proportion of the general population saying that they attend church at least monthly, going from 8 percent in 2018 to 12 percent in 2024. To some extent, the pews are being filled by immigrants. But that’s not the entire story.

3 weeks ago | firstthings.com | R. R. Reno

Francis Fukuyama lacks self-knowledge. On June 4, he republished excerpts from Leo Strauss’s 1941 lecture on “German Nihilism.” In the introductory paragraphs, Fukuyama characterizes aspects of Strauss’s warnings to the liberal culture of the modern West. But he cannot bring himself to articulate what Strauss clearly implies: Only an education that risks illiberal loves and loyalties can sustain a liberal culture.

2 months ago | brownpelicanla.com | R. R. Reno

The Brew: Jesus Calms the Storm, But Not Before We’re Good and Scared and Seasick, by John Zmirak By R. R. Reno, Frist Things, April 10, 2025My first experience of Passover came the spring after our wedding. My wife is Jewish, and she signed us up for the Yale Hillel Seder, a large affair of one hundred or more participants. I was at that stage of life almost always hungry.

Feb 28, 2025 | brownpelicanla.com | R. R. Reno

GOOD NEWS: Catholic Charities of Texas Panhandle Suspends Refugee Program, by Eric KilleleaSupreme Court Pauses Order That Trump Pay $2 Billion in Foreign Aid, by Daniel Payne By R. R. Reno, First Things, February 28, 2025Representatives of the U.S. and Russian governments are meeting in Saudi Arabia. Their goal is to determine whether an agreement can be reached to end the war in Ukraine. I’m grateful that this effort is being made.