Articles Archive

Hillsdale, Mich. Ever since I have lived, moved, and had my being in conservative circles, I have encountered an unspoken ambivalence about Protestantism. (Truth in advertising: I am a Reformed…

The terms ‘seemly’ (conforming to accepted notions of propriety or good taste) and ‘unseemly’ (not proper or appropriate) describe behaviors which are not, strictly speaking, moral or immoral, legal or illegal,…

How gratifying to learn of the cultural ascendancy of the Porchers! We’ve made it, we’ve convinced Americans of the abiding values of place, limits, and liberty. As evidence, I direct…

Front Porch Republic friend Thomas Gahr has just published Box-Shaped Heart (clever title), a novel based on an infamous instance of cuckoldry in 1880s Batavia, New York, involving factory owner…

This year's conference will be held on September 20-21  on the campus of Pomona College in Claremont, CA. We will begin on the evening of Friday the 20th with a…

For Adams and his peers the trade of art must have itself seemed an imported thing: threatening, rarified, and set apart like thorned peaks of the Swiss Alps rupturing above…

Ah, flowery June, when brooks send up a cheerful tune. The Muckdogs won their home opener last night before the largest Opening Day crowd in years. The sun has chased…

The Washington Times has a piece by Ryan James Girdusky suggesting that traditionalist conservatives have something to learn from hipsters. And vice versa. Traditionalist conservatives should emulate hipsters. In many…

The New Republic has a cover story on Rand Paul. The author takes it upon herself to 1) show how quickly Paul is becoming a major player with real White…

BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY---“Richard Fenno’s oeuvre is the most important contribution to congressional scholarship during recent generations,” says Yale political scientist David R. Mayhew. Contemporary political science is dominated by quantitative…

It’s A Wonderful Life was on my mind again recently, this time while watching Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 film, The Bicycle Thief. The leading men in the two films look…

When Odysseus visited Hades, he spoke with many of the greatest fallen Greeks: Achilles, Agamemnon, the prophet Tiresias. He sees many others, and considers seeking out Pirithous and Theseus. “But…

We scrambled up the craterous outcrop that ruptured like an isle in the gray sands spread thin around Cille inne Bay.

In East Bangor, Pennsylvania (pop. 800), there’s a little diner named for the trolley that used to take people to the once bustling steel town of Bethlehem.  The proprietors have…

Is there such thing as a private email? Are there limits to what the government can access? From The Washington Post: The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping…

Community isn't easy: In college I took political theory classes that routinely covered the subject of community. The classes even emphasized our era’s tragic shortage of intergenerational concern. It makes…

We need more Richard Pettigrews in an age of Wall Street harlotry and Pax Americana war making.

TAC has a review by Sale that champions nullification and (perhaps) secession. Nullification acts have been introduced in state legislatures all across the country, particularly in the last few months:…

Here's an article that makes a good case for spending your money close to home. An excerpt: At the most basic level, when you buy local more money stays in…

Walmart is attempting to capitalize on the interest in fresh, local produce. Will their 100% no questions money back guarantee put them at the head of the new local food…

Hidden Springs Lane. Should a localist shop at Home Depot? Or Walmart? The question, as I’ve stated it, should taste slightly off, like milk that is just on the verge…

...and for John Updike's play Buchanan Dying.

Rod Dreher’s new book, The Little Way of Ruthie Leming, seems to have struck a chord among both sympathizers and critics of Wendell Berry.  Ross Douthat, Alan Jacobs, Jake Meador,…

God didn't put twelve months on the calendar so we could work them all.