A story in last week’s news focused on the mysterious reappearance of Jaycee Lee Dugard, a 29-year-old woman who had been kidnapped 18 years earlier—snatched into a car while walking home from school. As the details of her imprisonment emerge, … Continue reading
Gary Scott Smith
Barack Obama and Religion
Americans have long been fascinated with and sometimes disturbed by the faith of their presidents, and Barack Obama’s faith is no exception. U.S. News and World Report recently claimed that “Obama has embraced faith in a more visible way” than … Continue reading
Slumdogs and Slavery
On the Monday morning following the Oscars, U.S. news websites splashed the announcement that the “little film that could,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” had garnered the Best Picture of 2008 award. Buried on many of the same web sites was the news … Continue reading
The Legacy of Abraham Lincoln
On Feb. 12 we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The relatively short history of our nation makes this a particularly momentous milestone. Of all of our leaders after the founders, only Franklin Roosevelt approaches Lincoln’s renown and … Continue reading
Barack Obama and the Church
The question of where Barack Obama and his family will go to church after he takes office is attracting a lot of media attention. As the author of “Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush,” I … Continue reading
Revisiting the New Deal
As the New Deal celebrates its 75th birthday, it is a fitting time to reflect on the context in which it occurred, its moral and spiritual underpinnings, and its aims. By significantly increasing the size, spending, and scope of the … Continue reading
Faith & Politics
The 12 Virginia Episcopal congregations that voted to leave the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. (ECUSA) and its Virginia Diocese in late 2006 and early 2007 have been successful in the first round of what promises to be a protracted … Continue reading
V&V Q&A: On Jefferson, Deism, and Church-State Separation (with Dr. Gary Scott Smith)
Editor’s Note: The “V&V Q&A” is an e-publication from the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope will prove illuminating to readers everywhere. In … Continue reading
The Faith of George Washington
On July 9, 1755, the “most catastrophic” day in Anglo-American history, Colonel George Washington was traveling with General Edward Braddock’s army toward Fort Duquesne when they were ambushed by Indians and French hiding in the woods. In the ensuing massacre, … Continue reading
Lincoln’s Faith and Presidents Today
As we celebrate Presidents’ Day in 2008, we are in the midst of campaigns to select Democratic and Republican nominees for president. Recognizing that George W. Bush’s candid discussion of his faith played a key role in his electoral success … Continue reading
Lessons from Lincoln
As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, we can learn much from Abraham Lincoln about how to apply Judeo-Christian values to political life. Governing our nation during its darkest days, Lincoln affirmed God’s sovereignty, sought to discover God’s will, used biblical principles … Continue reading
V&V PAPER — Heaven in the American Imagination: From the Puritans to the Present
Editor’s Note: With the holiday season now upon us and with Christmas quickly approaching, people around the globe are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. And with the birth of Jesus comes a message of hope for all of … Continue reading
What Kind of President Do Christians Want?
In a recent radio interview I was asked the hypothetical question “If you had to choose between candidate A who did not profess to be a Christian but had extensive political experience and candidate B who was a devout Christian … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Revisited: A Blessed, But Not a Chosen Nation
In November 1620, 102 English Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod after an arduous 66-day voyage across the Atlantic. The first winter, half of their company died. Nevertheless, after the residents of Plymouth gathered their first harvest the next November, Governor … Continue reading
Should Christians Participate in Politics?
The next presidential election is one year away. In 2004 evangelicals voted for George W. Bush by a ratio of nearly 4-to-1 and seemed poised to have a major impact on Bush’s second administration. However, except for Bush’s Supreme Court … Continue reading
Is the United States a Christian Nation?
Browse the internet and you will find hundreds of sites and essays debating whether the United States is a Christian nation. Many claim that the mixture of religion and politics is volatile, and no aspect of their relationship currently causes … Continue reading
Sputnik, Eisenhower, and the Cold War
October 4 marks the 50th anniversary of the Soviet launch of Sputnik, an event that caused profound shock and panic verging on hysteria in the United States. Newsweek declared that Sputnik constituted a Soviet victory in three areas: pure science, practical know-how, … Continue reading
Samuel Adams: The Indispensable Man
As we celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, parades, cookouts, and speeches, we should be grateful to our many forebears who risked their property, reputation, and lives to attain our independence. Some of them are well known and highly … Continue reading
Religion and the 2008 Election
Although the presidential election of 2008 is still 17 months away, it is already very contested as indicated by the 18 announced Republican and Democrat candidates, the huge amount of money raised, and the numerous televised debates and forums of … Continue reading
John F. Kennedy: A Catholic in the White House
May 29 marks the 90th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth. Kennedy was struck down by an assassin’s bullet in the prime of life, prompting national anguish. His vitality, idealism, powerful rhetoric, and charisma inspired many younger Americans to social … Continue reading
