Author: charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.

From the Fiery Furnace

(This was a comment by a faithful Priest who is a longtime reader and occasional commenter here. It describes the view from the pulpit from those who, despite the trials of these times, endeavor to live their mission with fidelity and fortitude. I liked it so much I reprint it, with permission, as a stand-alone […]

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Clergy Be Holy

(Two of the things that worry me these days are actually flip sides of a single coin. On the one hand, I worry that some people are going to be indiscriminate about condemning honorable – though sometimes timid – clerics because of the hideous behavior of some in the clergy. On the other, I worry […]

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A Terrible Resolve

(A few housekeeping notes: 1) Of late, some commenters have adopted excessively salty language, which we frown on here. I have instructed moderators either to not clear such comments or, if the comment has compelling value, to edit out excessive saltiness before clearing it. 2) I was stunned to discover on Facebook that I have […]

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The End of the Beginning, Part II

By Charlie Johnston When he was in St. Louis and Milwaukee, Cardinal Timothy Dolan was an archetype of shrewd orthodoxy, a reliable defender of both the faith and the faithful. It was sometimes delightful to watch him elegantly skewer an attacker with a shrewd riposte. I miss that guy. Dolan announced he would not excommunicate […]

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The End of The Beginning, Part I

By Charlie Johnston As this decade began, every leftist leader in America – and most of the world – was pointing to Venezuela under the guidance of strongman Hugo Chavez, as the icon of what we should all aspire to become. They were downright fawning over how Chavez had shown how a “just” society could […]

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The Parable of the Garden Hose

(Roman Cybak is a retired military man who lives near Charlottesville, Virginia. A regular reader here, he served as host and coordinator for my visit to Charlottesville a few years ago, just about a year before that town was victim of some nasty street theatre and ugliness. Charlottesville is a beautiful town, home of the […]

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Short Takes: The Battle for Life, an Early Feminist and…Go Chiefs!

By Charlie Johnston It is ironic that the most smugly self-righteous generation in our nation’s history will likely be looked at with revulsion by future generations for having knowingly perpetrated one of the great atrocities of history. Despite science proving that a child is fully human from the moment of conception, this generation insists on […]

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