While more than willing to sport a cowboy hat, talk football, and profit from its barbecue knowledge, Texas Monthly also sees its mission as bringing Austin values to the rest of the recalcitrant state.  I discuss their latest (if a little bit late to the table) effort up at First Things.  (For your one stop shopping convenience, here’s the cover story and the responding letters section as selected by TM.)  As bad as the current state of Texas Monthly is, the New Yorker reminds us that it could get worse.

And for some better reading, here’s the Religious Left’s godfather Ron Sider recently in Christianity Today.  I don’t necessarily agree that the civil question is settled or will be anytime soon—did Roe settle abortion?—but Sider has some wise counsel overall.  His words in First Things from just a few years ago may be even better.