Ein Heiligtum und eine Schule

A Shrine and a School On his way out of town, the eminent sociologist Christian Smith nailed his ninety-five theses to the doors of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, resigned his longtime professorship, and raged against the dying of the light in an essay in First Things: “I am done with Notre Dame.” Presumably, it’s mutual. As Catholic scholars who also taught for years at Notre Dame, we recognize—and reject—Smith’s dyspepsia. He has failed to understand the unique place of the university in...