Twenty Things that Caught My Eye: GOP Platform on Abortion, Living as a Hermit & More

1. New York Times: “Covering on Spire of a Cathedral That Monet Painted Catches Fire”

The cathedral, Notre-Dame de Rouen, about 70 miles northwest of Paris, was evacuated, and several dozen firefighters sent in to extinguish the blaze, local officials said. They said in the early afternoon that the fire had been contained and that damage appeared to be minimal.

The cathedral, whose construction began in the 12th century, is considered to be one of the finest Gothic churches in France. . . .

The cause of the fire was unknown, the city’s mayor, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, said on social media shortly after the blaze broke out. “All of the public resources have been mobilized,” he added.

The cathedral has suffered significant harm in the past: An earlier building was destroyed by Viking invasions in 841, and the cathedral was severely damaged by Allied bombardments in World War II.

2. Carl Trueman: “Hope Beyond Politics in Europe”

Certainly Europe is not undergoing some major return to widespread cultural Christianity. The personal highlight of my trips was spending a couple of days with Päivi Räsänen, the senior Finnish MP whose travails with regard to religious freedom are well known. Yet what was striking about Ms. Räsänen was the joy that marked her life.  Indeed, her address to Bijbels Beraad was as much about the gospel of Jesus Christ as about any of the difficulties she had faced. Quite a contrast to the professionally angry people who populate so much online Christian discourse and yet who have likely never faced the challenges she has endured. . . .

I went to Europe expecting to be somewhat discouraged by what I would see. I returned exhilarated. The LORD is not done with his people yet and, amidst all of the anger and bitterness, he has his Päivi Räsänens and his many anonymous young people who will joyfully carry the gospel to their generation and beyond.

3. Melissa Braunstein: “Rising Anti-Semitism in the Anglosphere”

4. Tablet: “The Los Angeles Synagogue Attack Wasn’t a Warning for Jews Alone”

The number of attacks targeting Christians is dwarfed by attacks on Jews in America, of course, but the point here is not to compare injuries, but to point out that both communities find themselves confronting the same or similar threats.

5. Crux: “Pope, Ukraine Church leader condemns children’s hospital attack in Kyiv”

6. Keith Rothfus: “Republicans Must Stop Retreating on Abortion”

[I]f we are to change a culture that is alienated, broken-hearted, and depressed, we need leaders willing to take up the charge to defend life. As John Paul II reminded America in Detroit in 1987, “[A]ll the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person.” Consequently, the prerequisite to making America great again is the defense of all innocent human life. The Republican delegates and Donald Trump should take note.

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8. Kenneth Craycraft: “For the first time, neither party is pro-life”

The 2024 platform mentions abortion one time. And it does so in a plank that abandons moral opposition to abortion, reducing it to mere policy choices in the states.

Put another way, the sole plank in which the Republicans mention abortion is a legally incoherent word salad. And it invokes the 14th Amendment for a policy position that is exactly opposite the meaning and purpose of the Amendment.

9. Grazie Pozo Christie: “Amendment 4 forgets the health and safety of Florida women and girls in one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives”

10. Alexandra DeSanctis: “Women Deserve to Know They Can Reverse In-Progress Chemical Abortions”

The argument for legal abortion rests on the presupposition that abortion is not only acceptable but liberating, that a woman in a difficult situation will always be served by seeking an abortion. Abortion pill reversal is a potent reminder to those who profit from abortion that, if given the option, many pregnant mothers want assistance that will help them choose life.

11. “Remington: Casey Lead Shrinks as Trump Margin Over Biden Grows”

12. Frank DeVito: “Multigenerational Living: A Step Back to Healthy Communal Life”

Multigenerational living is a healthy antidote to a lack of community, through the bonds of relationship. Too many people live alone. Even those who are married and have children too often live scattered throughout the country or the world, far from their parents, adult children, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. After the nuclear family, the extended family is the next unit of society. Living among extended family creates close ties that bond people to their ancestors, their homes, and their communities. Intentionally choosing to live in the same town as one’s extended family, and particularly in order to have several generations of family members living in the same home or on the same property, is a radical but healthy way to recapture the reality that one exists, thrives, and loves in relationships, not as an isolated individual.

13. Rob Henderson: “I Went From Foster Care to Yale. This Is What I Learned About ‘Luxury Beliefs.’”

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15. “Sending 11 children to Catholic school was worth it, couple says”

16. “8 Bible Resources for Kids”

17. Naomi Schaefer Riley: “Looking at Riley’s outer world in Inside Out 2”

18. “Teen’s Pro-Life Anthem Propels Teen Up the iTunes Country Charts”

19. “Timothy Schmalz — Influential Faith Sculptor Whose Name You Don’t Know”

20. Arthur Brooks: “Why You Should Want to Be Alone”

I asked Geshe Lobsang Tsephel whether he ever regrets choosing this life. “Never,” he answered. “When I became a hermit, I was so happy.” Indeed, he recommends some form of solitude for all of us. Spending a quarter century in a mountain hut might not work for you, but he advocated going on a retreat at least. “If you spend two or three months in isolation,” he promised, “it will change your life.” And if you can’t manage that, he said, even two or three days on your own “will wake you up.”