Christopher Blosser debutes in First Things

Christopher Blosser has been invited to become a regular contributor to the First Things blog, "First Thoughts."

His most recent contribution is entitled "Books, printed and virtual" (First Thoughts, June 13, 2009), a reflection on the difference between traditional printed books and books now being offered in electronic format, as in Amazon's Kindle application. While recognizing certain benefits of the latter, I agree with him in preferring traditional books, not only because of their tactile virtues, but because you can mark them up in the margins and make them your own. Would you trade a personally marked up copy of a book for an unmarked new one?

He debuted earlier this week with a controversial post entitled, "Obama, Benedict, and Islam" (First Thoughts, June 8, 2009), comparing certain features of President Obama's recent Cairo speech with statements made by Pope Benedict XVI during his tour of the Middle East. The piece is certainly provocative, though it hardly represents the general tenor of Christopher's posts, which have been consistently critical of the recent drift of Obama's statements and policies generally.

Anyone curious about Christopher's perspective on Obama may wish to consult his blog, Catholics In The Public Square. Those curious about his views on Islam, may wish to consult his posts: "Pope Benedict, Islam and the Prospect of Reform" (Against the Grain, April 23, 2007); "Readings in Islam: 'Islam, Fundamentalism, and the Betrayal of Tradition'" (Against the Grain, July 2, 2007); and "George Weigel's 'Faith, Reason & The War against Jihadism' (Part 1)" (Against the Grain, January 8, 2008).