Magazine

January 6, 2017

v.144 n.1

Howard Chandler Christy, "Signing of the Constitution," 1940; courtesy Art Architect Of The Capitol

Article

A Fitful Union

In his study of governance in U.S. history, historian Gary Gerstle shows that Americans have distrusted each other ever since they forged a single nation.

By James T. Kloppenberg

January 4, 2017

Domestic Affairs

Book Essay

Books

Goddess Bhadrakali Worshipped by the Gods

Article

'Talking God'

'Talking God' is a compilation of twelve internet interviews Gary Gutting conducted on the problems of God and religion.

By George Dennis O’Brien

January 3, 2017

Books

Secularism and Modernity

Spirituality

Dmitri Prieto-Samsonov at the bar; photo by Marcel Dufresne

Article

Vodka on the Malecon

Americans streaming south to explore the latest vacation hotspot should not be surprised to hear so many Cubans still saying, in Russian, “Spasiba” (“thank you").

January 2, 2017

Article

Abortion & Social Justice

Nothing would do more to energize social-justice movements than a broad-based coalition able to break through the impasse of abortion politics in the United States.

By Gerald W. Schlabach

December 20, 2016

Article

Team Trump

Supporters said Donald Trump would surround himself with competent people and not just diehard loyalists and bomb-throwers. For the most part, this hasn't happened.

By The Editors

December 13, 2016

Article

Trump Nation—and Not

My gnawing question about Trump voters, especially the dispossessed white working-class ones: Did they vote for Trump because he was Trump, or despite it?

December 7, 2016

Article

In the Beginning Was the Word

That speech itself took a beating in the 2016 election is troubling. But Clinton and Trump were not singularly to blame: Both candidates embodied longer-term trends.

By Susan McWilliams Barndt

December 6, 2016

Donald Trump

Election 2016

Domestic Affairs

Article

Reflections on the New Regime

After the spectacle of 2016, it is well to remember that popular agitation, exaggerated expectations, and deep divisions have long been part of the nation’s history.

November 29, 2016

Article

Not the Time for Reconciliation

Willing the good to everyone doesn't mean we ought to contrive a cheap reconciliation that ignores the danger presented by Donald Trump to our society and the world.

November 21, 2016

Article

Backlash

What might be more important about Trump's election is that the phenomenon seems part of a broader “populist” movement sweeping through most advanced countries.

December 19, 2016

Article

'Loving'

"Loving" avoids the impersonal feel of most docudramas; it is a movie of soft voices in homely settings. History is made without cinematic exclamation points.

December 19, 2016

Article

Letters | Washington, Rome, Aleppo, etc.

Readers respond to articles about what will happen under Trump, Obama's policy in Syria, and the common good.

By The Editors

December 19, 2016

Letters

Article

Poem | 'Fathom It'

"Someone had the last word. / Far-gone son of the Enlightenment? / Or ruler in the Middle East? Does it matter?"

By Jeannette Schmidt

December 19, 2016

Poetry

Art Thaw Collection, Jointly Owned By The Metropolitan Museum Of Art And The Morgan Library & Museum, Gift Of Eugene V. Thaw, 2009

Article

Outdoorsy Types

If you were to judge plein-air painting by the societies that specialize in, and set rules for, painting outdoors, you might think it a highly fussy field of art.

By Daniel Grant

December 19, 2016

Arts

Article

Aeneid Book VI

Seamus Heaney’s translation of the 'Aeneid' isn't just a fresh version of Virgil’s tale, but also a firsthand account of one who has passed to “nowhere.”

By Charles McNamara

December 19, 2016

Poetry

Article

'The Tragedy of U.S. Foreign Policy'

Walter A. McDougall examines America's desire to remake the world in its image, an ideology that guides its foreign policy.

By Regina Munch

December 17, 2016

Domestic Affairs

Foreign Affairs

Article

From Russia with Dread

Three journalists with long experience in Russia try to untangle Vladimir Putin's high approval ratings from Russian citizens despite his brazen self-interest.

By Joshua Dill

December 17, 2016

Columnists

Article

Last Word: A Faith for Failures

Reading 'Silence' shook me up and left me with uncomfortable questions. How deep is my faith?

By Jerry Ryan

December 14, 2016

Theology

Movies

Spirituality

Article

The Failure of American Liberalism

Democrats may see themselves as heirs to the progressive tradition dating to FDR. But that does not describe the party that made Hillary Clinton its nominee.

By Andrew J. Bacevich

November 15, 2016