“If your children are no better than you are, you have fathered them in vain, indeed you have lived in vain.” -Solzhenitsyn from “Cancer Ward” Actually, I am not satisfied merely if my children are better than I am, for … Continue reading
In 1965, Russell Kirk, a man of letters and conservative commentator, wrote an essay entitled “The Rarity of the God Fearing Man.” He lamented the fact that we as creatures generally no longer take our Creator-God seriously enough to have a … Continue reading
Last month we celebrated the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, two presidents whose deep but somewhat unconventional faith has evoked great debate. Does the faith of presidents truly matter? Does it significantly affect how they think, live, and govern? … Continue reading
In the Ninth Annual Ronald Reagan Lecture, “Reagan for the Millennials,” best-selling Reagan biographer and executive director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, Paul Kengor, interviews two special guests: Andrew Coffin ’98, Young America’s Foundation … Continue reading
At the National Prayer Breakfast last week, 52 of the 2,878 words spoken by President Barack Obama set off a firestorm in the world of journalism and social media. Many conservative Christians were offended by his contention that the actions … Continue reading
In my political views, I consider myself to be a conservative American. In my religious beliefs, I consider myself to be a conservative Christian. I am a conservative Western Christian. Sometimes, however, my two conservative bents seem to be in … Continue reading
On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in the historic case of Roe v. Wade. Last weekend, Dr. Paul Kengor was the keynote speaker at the 37th annual People for Life Breakfast in Erie (click here and here for news coverage). During his … Continue reading
Religious deception and hucksterism is certainly not a new phenomenon. From Sinclair Lewis’ Elmer Gantry to televangelist Jim Bakker to some proponents of the Prosperity Gospel, fictional and real life examples abound. So the revelation that Kevin Malarkey fabricated his … Continue reading
The cargo ship recklessly headed towards the coast of Italy. The crew had abandoned ship and the Italian coast guard scrambled to intervene. After regaining control of the ship the coast guard discovered a troubling reality: 800 illegal immigrants were … Continue reading
They rushed to the third floor gripping their Kalashnikov automatic rifles and entered the room where the editorial board had gathered to meet. The rifles fired, innocent lives were destroyed and lost, and then they left. Outside, they entered a … Continue reading
A few days before Christmas, I checked the schedule for Turner Classic Movies, one of the few TV channels I watch. I was looking for Christmas movies, maybe the 1938 Reginald Owen version of “A Christmas Carol” or something like … Continue reading
St. Nicholas is in fact the greatest saint in the history of Christianity. Forget Peter, Paul, or Mary; St. Nicholas has them all beat. No other saint enjoys his unique relationship to all three branches of Christianity—Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and … Continue reading
It strikes me that fiction plays a major role in our annual Christmastime celebrations. Our little children hear far more about Santa Claus, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, and other fictitious characters than about the Nativity. I don’t mean that as a … Continue reading
For fun Christmas reading this season, I highly recommend John Grisham’s “Skipping Christmas,” or Maeve Binchy’s “This Year It Will Be Different.” For a more thought-provoking read, however, I suggest Charles Dickens’ short story, “A Christmas Tree.” I have often … Continue reading
Ecumenism at its best was recently demonstrated at the Vatican, where dozens of faith leaders worldwide assembled to remind us of the essential complementarity of men and women in life, marriage, and parenthood. It was enough to prompt a high-five … Continue reading
Christian psychologist David Myers, in his writing and speaking about happiness, has suggested that long-term human happiness is not particularly dependent on our wealth or health. If you tell him that a year ago one person won millions of dollars … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article was first published by the Center for Vision & Values on November 24, 2004. Did you ever learn anything profound from a fourth grade play? I did yesterday. I took an hour off of work to … Continue reading
National exit polling from Congressional races tells us some interesting things about the role of religious values in the 2014 midterm elections. It also sends a signal to the Republican Party about its supporters now and in the future. The … Continue reading
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The Washington Post When we think of Martin Luther King Jr.’s great speeches, we don’t think of Berlin. And when we think of great American speeches in Berlin, we think of John F. … Continue reading
It was October 19, 1984—30 years ago this week. A gentle, courageous, and genuinely holy priest, Jerzy Popieluszko, age 37, found himself in a ghastly spot that, though it must have horrified him, surely did not surprise him. An unholy … Continue reading
