Canada: the Canary in the Coal Mine

Almost looks free - but this canary is in a cage.

I have an article up at Crisis Magazine, discussing the Canadian situation regarding the progression of same-sex marriage and gender identity politics, and how religious freedom is being extinguished in this country.

The Canadian situation is a warning to our southern neighbour in particular. It is also a warning to all other countries that are contemplating the legalization of same-sex marriage.

There are many prescient people in the United States who are very aware of what is coming next, if same-sex marriage becomes legalized. Most notable perhaps is Prof. Robert George, who discussed the coming persecution of Christians in his speech at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast last year (I posted about this speech here).

Another such modern prophet is Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, who wrote an incredible letter to his radio listeners earlier this month, saying:

I do not recall a time when the institutions of marriage and the family have faced such peril, or when the forces arrayed against them were more formidable or determined. Barring a miracle, the family that has existed since antiquity will likely crumble, presaging the fall of Western civilization itself.

Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In, part 2

Visit the book's website.

I was saddened to hear of the recent sudden death of Sheryl Sandberg's husband Dave Goldberg, 47. Now that I've read Sandberg's book, I feel like I almost know her, and I mourn for her loss.

One of the truest sayings in history has got to be "We make plans, God laughs." Sandberg spent a lot of her book focusing on how important the support of husbands is in enabling women to forge ahead with their careers, and her husband was a prime example of that healthy support. She talked quite a bit about how Goldberg helped her out by taking on a hefty chunk of family duties.

Now, she will have to rechart her path as a widowed mother of two young children. She has enough resources to buy all the help that she needs, but she will still need more than that. She will probably find that she has to be personally more involved in her children's lives, because there will now be no one else to share the role of parent.

As such, in some ways Lean In is already becoming outdated in light of these tragic events in Sandberg's life. Perhaps another book will one day contain more mature reflections based on the difficult years that are to come.

In the meantime, here is the second (and final) part of my book review of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg (Knopf, 2013). The first part of my book review is here.

So long Michael Coren, newest member of the thought police

So Michael Coren has become Anglican. Not surprising at this point, considering his about-face in 2014 on the issue of homosexual relationships, but still a sad and disappointing twist in the life story of a man whose words and books inspired many Catholics in Canada and elsewhere.

In particular, one revelation rather stunned me: that he has been quietly attending the Anglican church for about a year.

What this really means to me is that Michael Coren knowingly misled his Catholic audience. He continued functioning publicly as a Catholic apologist, writing articles for Catholic publications and circulating on the Catholic speaking circuit, without disclosing this very pertinent bit of information that would surely have given many of his Catholic promoters serious pause. Did Coren see no conflict between his public role as an outspoken Catholic and his Sunday attendance at another church?