Paul L. Caron
Dean
Pepperdine Caruso
School of Law
Faith
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Things Worth Remembering: The Poem That Outlived the Holocaust
The Free Press: Things Worth Remembering: The Poem That Outlived the Holocaust, by Douglas Century: As a young woman, [Hannah Senesh] wrote poems inspired by the beauty of her new home [Caesarea, the ancient Roman capital of Judaea—today, a stunning national park in Israel.]. Her most famous poem, written in 1942 when she was 21,…
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Slow Down. God’s Grace Doesn’t Require Us to Grind.
Christianity Today, Slow Down. God’s Grace Doesn’t Require Us to Grind., by Alexander Sosler (Montreat College; Author, A Short Guide to Spiritual Formation: Finding Life in Truth, Goodness, Beauty, and Community (2024) (Christianity Today Christian Living Book of the Year (2024)): I’m what some would call a competitive person. I hate losing more than I…
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NY Times Faith Podcasts
New York Times, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat: No, Young Men Are Not Returning to Church: All the Religious Trends You’re Wrong About.: In the early 2020s, something unexpected happened: America stopped becoming less religious. The share of Americans with no religious affiliation had been rising for decades. Suddenly, that increase stopped. And all over…
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Religious Colleges (And Law Schools) Are Booming. Why?
Chronicle of Higher Education: Religious Colleges Are Booming. Why?, by Clark G. Gilbert (former BYU President; Co-Chair, American Council on Education Commission on Faith-based Colleges and Universities): Young people are adrift, and they want a different kind of education. Today’s young adults live in what the former U.S. surgeon general has called an “epidemic of…
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48 Hours in the Life of Paul Clement
48 hours in the life of famed Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement
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Things Worth Remembering: MLK’s Final Act of Faith in God and America
Martin Luther King’s last speech the night before his murder energized his audience, fortified them for a fight, and prepared them to make a sacrifice for something bigger and more important than themselves
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Scott Adams, Pascal’s Wager, and Hacking Eternity
Ten days before his death from prostate cancer, Dilbert comic strip creator Scott Adams announced he had converted to Christianity, echoing “Pascal’s wager,” the 17th century French Catholic mathematician, scientist, and philosopher who asserted that in light of eternity, choosing to believe in God is the only wise choice
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NY Times: Can Texas Senate Candidate James Talarico Reclaim Christianity for the Left?
New York Times: Texas senate candidate James Talarico’s progressive Christianity may be a model for Democratic candidates in 2026 and beyond
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Don’t Be a Cynic About Today’s Religious Revival
Young people are coming to faith as the result of having discovered a precious treasure—what the late Pope Francis called “he joy of the Gospel”—which rather than being reduced to countercultural posturing, instead propels the believer to share her new joie de vivre with others around her.
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NY Times Op-Ed: Does the Sacrament of Confession Have Any Place in 2026 Catholicism?
Although the movie “Wake Up Dead Man” suggests that confession has no place in 2026 Catholicism, Ross Douthat argues that the centuries old sacrament has a long life ahead
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The Life of Significant Soil: For Law Students and For Everyone
How law students and lawyers can live the good life by pursuing the good
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Ben Sasse: Death, Hope, and Joy
How former Senator and University of Florida President Ben Sasse finds hope and joy as he faces death at age 53
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How New Year’s Resolutions Can Develop Habits That Bring Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health
How New Years resolutions for physical goals can result in spiritual gains
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A Theological Approach to Artificial Intelligence
A theological approach to artificial intelligence recognizes both the potential dangers and the potential opportunities
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When I Turned 50, I Saw Christ on a Hill
The Free Press: I Saw Christ on a Hill, by Martin Shaw (Faculty of Divinity, Oxford; Founder, Oral Tradition and Mythic Life Courses, Stanford): When I decided to spend 101 days walking into a forest, it wasn’t God I was seeking. And yet he found me. Approaching 50 can do strange things to us. We…
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Many Sons to Glory: A Star, and the Opposite of a Star
Winter is a time of introspection—and a time of huddling together for warmth—because the exterior darkness exemplifies the interior darkness. However fixed we may feel our faith to be at other times, we fear that the darkness may be final and overcome the light..
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I’m Christian. My Wife Is Jewish. Our Marriage Has Deepened Our Faith.
I’m Christian. My wife is Jewish. Our marriage has deepend our faith and brought us both closer to each other and to God
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Christmas Makes Christianity a Dangerous Faith — For Christians
Christmas makes Christianity a dangerous faith — to Christians
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A Pepperdine Christmas
A Pepperdine Christmas flash mob in the library as two students sing O Holy Night (A Night Divine)
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How the Coming of the Son at Christmas Brings Hope to the Fatherless
The two Christmas stories (the incarnation of the Son and the joy of family togetherness) are not so far off after all.
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The Christmas Incarnation Sheds Light on Astrophysics
The discoveries of science cannot diminish God, for he created it all. Each time we look up at the night sky and consider the stars, we can remember that God delights in reminding us of his love—a love that is wider than the universe.
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Tonight’s Winter Solstice — the Longest and Darkest Night of the Year — Prepares Us for the Light of Christmas Morning
Tonight’s winter solstice — the longest and darkest night of the year — prepares us for the light of Christmas morning