The Origin of Simony

Simon Magus

First Century A.D.

Simon Magus set the precedent for the misuse of money that has plagued the Church for two millennia. His practice of sorcery ...

The Indulgence Huckster

The Indulgence Huckster

(1500s)

Johann Tetzel was a monk with a mission. He was to oversee the sale of indulgences--promises of divine forgiveness for the ...

A Father Without Wisdom

A recent Duke graduate asked his old man late one night when he went back home, "Look, I'm getting ready to go out into life. Tell me what you know. Go ...

Adrift Without Faith

Life has an orientation, a final end toward which everything moves. I realize, however, that I can say this only because I am a Christian. I know that ...

War After War After War

I've been told that there are places in Europe where you can sink a spade into the earth, and in just two or three spadefuls of earth, you can dig ...

Lust Is Self-Destruction

Unbridled lust:

A cannibal committing suicide

By nibbling on himself.

Our Most Basic Vice

Pride is a vice that ill suits those that would lead others in a humble way to heaven. Let us take heed, lest when we have brought others so far, the ...

A Lethal Dose

Pride is a poison so very poisonous that it not only poisons the virtues; it even poisons the other vices. ... And we all do in fact know that the primary ...

Money Makes a Mess

Money is the root of every mess you can think of. Anyone who lives for money is surely missing the best things in life. There's satisfaction in doing, ...

Nothing Worth Saying

Lawrence Christon sees [an] end-of-the-decade mean mood in films like The War of the Roses and Do the Right Thing. He uses media as his main medium. ...