In the end, we cannot act unless we can speak. And we cannot speak unless we are well, unless we have become guided by wonder and beauty, by truth and by goodness, philosophy, and rhetoric...

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In Pursuit of Truth and Beauty: The Fullness of Cultural Renewal by R.J. Snell Ours is a time of a profound loss of cultural confidence. The decadent are all around us, we know them; they teach us, they “lead” us, they govern us. It is disheartening to experience. And in such an anti-culture, infected deeply with a kind of nihilistic technological spirit, there is a siren call to submission. Submit to the experts, submit to the technicians, submit to the educrats and bureaucrats. But such submission is not worthy of a free people, not worthy of free women and men. Instead, we choose to act. But in the end, we cannot act unless we can speak. And we cannot speak unless we are well, unless we have become guided by wonder and beauty, by truth and by goodness, philosophy, and rhetoric... [MORE] Newman & Dawson Against Liberalism by Bradley J. Birzer Historian Christopher Dawson felt a true kinship with John Henry Cardinal Newman. Both had been converts to Roman Catholicism, both were Augustinians, and both did everything in their intellectual power to combat liberalism. Because all of history had a purpose, Newman argued, history seemed to have changed its direction with the coming of Christ. It no longer runs straight forward, but is, as it were, “continually verging on eternity.” Newman’s near-mysticism and inspired foresight—his understanding of being on the edge of eternity—also impressed Dawson. Newman, more clearly than any of his contemporaries, understood the coming war of the Church against the ideologues. Evil and iniquity were attempting to enter the world in any way that they could, and they found their vehicle in the French Revolution, utilitarianism, and secularization...  [MORE] Pessimism & the Wisdom of Tradition by Brian York Why have modern American conservatives gained the reputation of being anti-intellectual? The answer to this question is surely multi-faceted and complex, but ultimately the culprit lies in a distortion of the conservative worldview, namely a distortion of a proper sense of pessimism.By reclaiming our pessimism we can begin to abandon some of our cynicism, especially the cynicism regarding intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. Many of the worst aspects of contemporary culture stem directly from our latent optimism. But things do not have to be like this. If we aren’t careful about learning from and maintaining our unique Western Tradition, the blind will end up leading the blind. We need to be the stewards of our own history and culture and not the curators of mummified beliefs that we neither believe in nor understand... [MORE] Robert Hugh Benson: Remembering a Forgotten Giant by Joseph Pearce Perhaps the clearest evidence of Robert Hugh Benson’s genius is to be found in the ease with which he crossed literary genres. Aside from his historical romances, he was equally at home with novels with a contemporary setting, such as Lord of the World. The world depicted in Lord of the World is one where creeping secularism and Godless humanism have triumphed over religion and traditional morality. It is a world where philosophical relativism has triumphed over objectivity; a world where, in the name of tolerance, religious doctrine is not tolerated. It is a world where euthanasia is practiced widely and religion hardly practiced at all. The lord of this nightmare world is a benign-looking politician intent on power in the name of “peace,” and intent on the destruction of religion in the name of “truth.” In such a world, only a small and defiant Church stands resolutely against the demonic “Lord of the World”... [MORE] How to Conquer the “Fear of Missing Out” by John Horvat Everyone has seen it happen. Suddenly, in the middle of a conversation at an event, a person feels compelled to answer an “urgent” message, frequently without bothering to offer any explanation. This compulsive behavior, known as the "Fear of Missing Out," is triggered by the fear of missing out on some social interaction which the person judges as critical. People consciously choose to miss out on the spiritual realities that will deprive them of their frenzy. By dismissing holy and spiritual things, they ultimately turn away from the God Who alone can satisfy their hearts and give them eternal life. Those who don’t want to miss out must reorient their desires toward those spiritual goods found in the good, true, and beautiful. This pursuit will ultimately lead them to God, and when one has God, one has everything. One never misses out... [MORE] The Myth of Liberalism Camille Saint-Saëns: An Underrated Master Ten Books Turning Our Freshmen into Social Justice Warriors The Godless City: Until Buildings Have Faces Omaha Beach: America’s Finest Hour Will Our War Against Radical Islam Ever End? The United States as World Savior: Costs & Consequences The Blessings of Capitalism The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.