Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

A Defense of Evangelicalism?

Posted on Sunday 6 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

An evangelist defends her faith; Mahler’s 3rd. – – – Two pieces about an evangelist who is defending her ‘culture.’ Reading them now. What is she defending exactly? That could not apply to any religion? First, from the evangelist herself. … Continue reading →

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Peter Singer: THE EXPANDING CIRCLE

Posted on Sunday 6 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress. (First published 1981. This edition, with a new preface and afterword: Princeton University Press, 2011, xviii + 208pp, including 35pp of notes on sources, afterword, and index.) I had thought this book was about … Continue reading →

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Wendell Berry and Conservative Thinking

Posted on Saturday 5 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

I don’t have a lot to say about Wendell Berry, the poet and essayist who died this past week. I was aware of him, and I even have one of his books: LIFE IS A MIRACLE, subtitled “An Essay Against … Continue reading →

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C.S. Lewis: MERE CHRISTIANITY

Posted on Friday 4 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

(First published 1952. This edition: HarperOne, trade paperback, 2001, xx + 227pp) This is famous as one of the most popular ‘apologetics’ for Christianity. (Coincidentally, I did recently see a poll of the most popular books about Christianity of the … Continue reading →

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Wonder is Appreciating the World as it Is

Posted on Friday 4 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Wonder is freely available, in the reality of the world we live in, for people who bother to look up from their holy books and political screeds and capitalist efficiency mandates. The Atlantic, Ian Bogost, today: The Missing Ingredient of … Continue reading →

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Is America Literally Being Sabotaged? From Within?

Posted on Thursday 3 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Is America being sabotaged from within? Robert Reich asks his readers what gives them hope, with four options; Headlines about Haitians, Satan, a terror attack, the end of free meals for children, hiding statistics, how conservatives are realizing Dolly Parton … Continue reading →

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Todd May: A SIGNIFICANT LIFE

Posted on Thursday 3 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “Human Meaning in a Silent Universe” (University of Chicago Press, 2015, xi + 197pp, including 13pp of acknowledgments, notes, suggestions for further reading, and index) This is the first of three slender books I’ve collected over the years by … Continue reading →

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We’re a Cooperative Species, Not an Isolationist Tribal One, Mostly

Posted on Wednesday 2 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Essay on how the future of independence is interdependence; Short items about JD Vance’s sense of spiritual darkness, and his apparent welcoming of the “end times”; a new Navy Secretary who believes in witchcraft; asking why psychics don’t help in … Continue reading →

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A Cosmic Perspective, and MAGA Kibble

Posted on Tuesday 1 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

I have a bunch of Trump/MAGA kibble today, but I’ll start with two quotes from the enlightened fringe of humanity. Carl Sagan, from his book with Ann Druyan, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS. (Which I reviewed here.) “We humans are like … Continue reading →

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More About Science Fiction in Modern Society

Posted on Monday 31 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

First, posted on Facebook about our Napa Valley Wine Train trip yesterday. Then, more about the role of science fiction in modern society. The Atlantic, Gal Beckerman, 31 Aug 2026: We Are Living in the Fantasy World of 13-Year-Old Boys, … Continue reading →

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