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Last Things by David Mills

Last Things: June 2022

David Mills

June 2022

End-times mavens like to assign the meanings they want to cryptic or ambiguous Bible verses, and cherry-pick world events in the same way, to make political claims.

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Last Things: April 2022

David Mills

April 2022

The bigot isn’t the man who thinks he’s right. Every sane man thinks he’s right. The bigot is the man who cannot understand how the other man came to be wrong.

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Last Things: March 2022

David Mills

March 2022

Animals do all sorts of things we do not want people to do. Yet people say these behaviors are "natural" and, therefore, licit among humans.

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Last Things: January-February 2022

David Mills

January-February 2022

What signs of distinction do Christians give? The signs must say not only, “We’re not one of you,” but “Come and see.” We’re not so good at those signs.

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Last Things: December 2021

David Mills

December 2021

For my stand-alone Evangelical colleague, the true faith was what he said it was, no more, no less — whatever the rest of the Christian world said.

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Last Things: November 2021

David Mills

November 2021

I make no claims to be someone who would kneel before the lions in the Colosseum. I pray I would, but no one knows how he’ll meet the test till he’s tested.

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Last Things: October 2021

David Mills

October 2021

Catholic social teaching doesn’t map well on any of the usual political positions. It also leaves a lot to wisdom and prudence.

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Last Things: September 2021

David Mills

September 2021

Who knows what experiences help make people one kind of person or another, and what little change might have made the villain a hero or the hero a villain.

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Last Things: July-August 2021

David Mills

July-August 2021

“Don’t you fear dying?” a young woman asked me. I said I feared not dying. For her, death is the end of a life of pleasure. For me, it's the end of decline.

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Last Things: May 2021

David Mills

May 2021

Catholicism offers so many material things that convey God's grace: holy water, candles, relics. What's eating a little holy dirt when you've found God through all those things?

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Last Things

David Mills

April 2021

I enjoy what might be called “confessional tourism.” I’m fascinated by what confessors tell me, and so I tend to go to confession when I’m away from home.

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Last Things: March 2021

David Mills

March 2021

Politics gives us a lovely way to externalize our virtue. Or so we feel. The world encourages us to see our votes as acts in defense of light and against darkness.

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Last Things

David Mills

January-February 2021

A scholar wrote to me that she fears for “the next generation of writers who grew up texting.” I think she's right, but only to a limited extent.

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Last Things

David Mills

December 2020

It baffles me that self-consciously orthodox Catholics so blithely accuse Pope Francis of heresy. Catholic claims about the papacy, however qualified, are a high-wire act.

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Last Things

David Mills

November 2020

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Last Things

David Mills

October 2020

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Last Things

David Mills

September 2020

Writing directly about what one knows, without trying to impress anyone, produces the most interesting and enjoyable writing.

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Last Things

David Mills

July-August 2020

The passion for not masking has led to some Christians making ridiculous claims about Providence to justify not wearing one.

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Last Things

David Mills

June 2020

The world does not like seriously religious people, like conservative rural white American Christians and like the Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

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Last Things

David Mills

May 2020

As I write, the local bishop has removed all the sacraments from the people and closed all the churches...

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Last Things

David Mills

April 2020

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Last Things

David Mills

March 2020

Most Americans assume some people in power must be the good guys, people who can do something to fix things.

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Last Things

David Mills

January-February 2020

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Last Things

David Mills

December 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

November 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

October 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

September 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

July-August 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

June 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

May 2019

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Last Things

David Mills

April 2019

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