Adam points me to an mp3 of a radio debate between Richard Dawkins and a Catholic theologian, David Quinn. I haven’t yet listened to it, but from comments about it, Dawkins is certainly not the winner.

I’m especially interested because I’ll be hearing Dawkins speak on Monday, at Randolph-Macon Women’s College. If you’re in town, you ought to come with.

Joost Nixon’s introductory editorial for the Fatherhood issue of St. Anne’s Pub is simply fantastic. I listened to it three times back to back over my lunch break today. It is so good, in fact, that I have to quote part of it here…

In God’s economy, He serves up our parental dinners in reverse order, with dessert first, and the other courses following. All the courses are smashing, and in ways as different as a grilled ribeye is from fresh sour dough. But nothing that follows is as sweet and fleeting as infancy. Fearing that if I am a moment distracted, God will carry off my dessert half-eaten, I am greedily savouring Judah’s infancy.

I got a bill a while back for some of Phinehas’ medical services when he was born. There was a bit of mixup with him getting on my health insurance, and so no payment was made. I called today to ask them to resubmit the claim, and they did and everything should be fine.

But in the process, I said to the lady, “Treatment was for my son, Phinehas”. And I would be lying if I said a huge smile didn’t come across my face at the phrase coming out of my mouth. My son, Phinehas.

Which isn’t to discredit at all the joy I had the first time I spoke about having a daughter. But… It’s my boy. I’m a proud papa.