I do not feel like a privileged person today when I watch Olympic competitions. These young white, black, and Asian athletes from around the world have been given incredible opportunities to train and specialize in their events. When I should … Continue reading
Faith & Society
Teach MLK, Not CRT
Here’s a critical question for enthusiasts of critical race theory, particularly its growing number of advocates on the religious left: How did MLK do what he did without CRT? That is, how did the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. … Continue reading
Tunch Ilkin: A Tribute
As the regular NFL season ends, the Pittsburgh Steelers need a minor miracle to make the playoffs, and Ben Roethlisberger’s storied career comes to an end, it is fitting to recognize another Steeler great who died of ALS in September … Continue reading
When Humans Don’t Procreate: An Update
Two years ago, I wrote about the pending global population implosion. Demographers predict that 90 countries will lose population between now and the year 2100. Shrinking populations have portentous implications, including major shifts in geopolitical power and the possible financial collapse … Continue reading
Why is America so sad? And where do we find joy?
A study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education—based on an October 2020 poll released in February 2021—deserved widespread media coverage. It got almost none. Given what was going on this past February, that is not surprising. But it is … Continue reading
COVID and Conscientious Objection
The U.S. Supreme Court last week declined to stop a state vax mandate for healthcare workers invoking religious objections. It declined to halt New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s denial of the First Amendment religious rights of healthcare workers. Only three justices … Continue reading
Sparks are flying at Grove City College
You’ve heard the old saying from Proverbs “iron sharpens iron.” We feel good about friends transforming one another by principled conversations. Mutual iron sharpening is good stuff. But what about the sparks? Iron sharpening produces heat. We love the old … Continue reading
Do I teach at a Woke School?
“Do I teach at a woke school?” was not a question I seriously considered until one evening last week when I received an email from a friend assuring me of his prayers for me in my workplace. The reason was an article he … Continue reading
Rethinking COVID-19 for Thanksgiving-21
The pandemic has festered for 20 months and fostered more than 760,000 deaths in the United States. One of them was my mother-in-law. I know many others who have lost loved ones. More than 47,000,000 cases have been documented in … Continue reading
Critical Race Theory: Myths, Marxism, and More
Few modern topics have become as divisive as critical race theory, which is no surprise, given that CRT divides. It divides people into groups pitted against one another, into categories of oppressed vs. oppressor. What’s worse, your group defines you. … Continue reading
Parental educational rights and religious liberty: the Yoder case revisited
Throughout the country, parents are concerned that some public schoolboards, administrators, and associations hold them in disdain and fear their input when they raise legitimate questions about the direction of their local schools. Just short of 50 years ago (1972), … Continue reading
Doomed to Marry Beneath Them? Marriage and the Gender Gap in College Education
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at Crisis Magazine. The Wall Street Journal recently published a powerful article on the large and growing gap between the numbers of men and women enrolled in American colleges and universities. Enrollments have declined steeply in recent years, … Continue reading
Us vs. them — why we remember 9/11 differently
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. On Sept. 8, 2021, Grove City College President Paul McNulty spoke in downtown Pittsburgh regarding his uniquely fascinating yet somber 9/11 experiences. He played an intimate role in the prosecution … Continue reading
Academics Shine a Critical Light on Progressive Christians
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The Stream. Elites have long seen conservative Christians as intolerant and obsessed with politics. It’s a simple view that few have been able successfully to complicate into a more realistic picture. George Yancey … Continue reading
Protestants and American Conservatism: A Short History — A Q&A with Dr. Gillis J. Harp
Editor’s Note: The “Author Q&A” is an e-publication from the Institute for Faith & Freedom at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an author of an intriguing new book that we hope will prove illuminating to readers … Continue reading
The Faith of Mark Twain: A Q&A with Dr. Gary Scott Smith
Editor’s Note: The “Author Q&A” is an e-publication from the Institute for Faith & Freedom at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an author of an intriguing new book that we hope will prove illuminating to readers … Continue reading
If the Dead Could Speak
Upon arriving back from visiting my parents’ gravesite, many soul-searching thoughts have swirled in my mind. I was starkly reminded that the length of our earthly life is a grain of sand in a pile of sand a mile wide … Continue reading
Religious Liberty After Fulton: Protected or Precarious?
Sharonell Fulton had fostered 40 children over a 25-year period through Catholic Social Services (CSS), a private agency which conducted “home study” reviews of prospective foster parents. CSS operated under the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In March 2018, the city … Continue reading
The Theology of Losing
The coach angrily paces outside the locker room after losing an early season game. He steps on to the bus and says, “If I hear one word or see even a crack of a smile, you will pay for it … Continue reading
The Vital Signs of American Christianity: Critical but not Terminal?
When I visit my family physician, he starts by checking my vitals. It’s amazing how critical are simple things like blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. We social scientists know that vital signs matter in organized religion, too. There are a … Continue reading