The first job I ever wanted was to be a “garbage man,” as that is what I called it at age five. I would run out to the curb each week when the garbage truck came. The garbage man would greet … Continue reading
“Calling” for Meaning In Our Work
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I Have an “Incomplete” in Life 101
During the commencement ceremony at Grove City College in Grove City, Pa., where I am a professor, we will be singing Isaac Watts’ “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” Tears will come to my eyes as we harmonize the … Continue reading
When the Left Liked Conscientious Objection
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Crisis magazine.Do you remember the name Daniel Berrigan? Berrigan was a Jesuit priest well-known for his protests of the Vietnam War. He became a household name in the 1960s, along with his brother, Philip Berrigan, also a … Continue reading
Registering Women for the Draft: A Charade, Not a Necessity
The Armed Services Committee (ASC) recently approved a measure requiring American women aged 18 to 26 to register for the draft and sent it to the full House for consideration. If this measure becomes law it will do nothing to … Continue reading
Whatever Happened to Conservatism?
As Republicans prepare to gather in Cleveland to nominate Donald Trump as their nominee, the question that many may ask is: Whatever happened to conservatism? To the extent that conservatism is defined by limited government, free enterprise, respect for federalism, … Continue reading
An Autopsy of a Movement
With Ted Cruz having dropped out of the 2016 presidential race, there will be a string of eulogies seeking to autopsy his campaign. At least some of those critiques may hit the mark. In particular, Cruz’s campaign strategy went awry … Continue reading
STREAMING VIDEO – 2016 – America’s Three Religious Cultures: Embattled Christians, Pop Heretics and Highbrow Skeptics in the 21st Century
The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat speaks to over 600 people during the Center’s 2016 Conference: Media and American Culture: How the Church, Ideas, Elites, Social Networks, and Technology Shape Society. Ross joined The New York Times as an … Continue reading
Conservative Solutions for Just Wages
There is much talk and action right now on the issue of a minimum or “just” wage. Typically, those who favor raising the minimum wage tend to the liberal camp. However, some of those who want to raise the minimum … Continue reading
Western Civ in the Crosshairs—and A Glimmer of Hope
Students at Indiana University-Bloomington recently went into panic mode at the sight of a Dominican friar, who they mistook for a Ku Klux Klan member. Funny? Yes, but also sad. It is a further sign of the state of our universities, and … Continue reading
Cruz vs. Trump: Comparing their Tax Proposals
As Donald Trump and Ted Cruz battle to become the Republican nominee for president, it is time to closely consider their policies. Although both propose cutting taxes, the details of their plans are very different. Ted Cruz is proposing a … Continue reading
Putin Sends a Message to Obama
“Si vis pacem, para bellum” (“If you want peace, prepare for war”) On April 11-12, two Russian SU-24 fighter-bombers made repeated low-level passes over the USS Donald Cook, an American destroyer sailing in the Baltic Sea. The ship’s crew recorded … Continue reading
What’s the Deal with a $15 Minimum Wage?
Arguing that no full-time worker should be paid so little as to live in poverty, Bernie Sanders supports increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. This is part of his plan for reducing income inequality in the United … Continue reading
“Pigasus” for President: Chicago 1968 speaks to 2016
“The mob is the mother of tyrants.” –Diogenes of Sinope In late August 1968, two months after an assassin killed presidential candidate Senator Robert Kennedy and shortly after Republicans nominated Richard Nixon for president, the Democrats gathered in Chicago to pick … Continue reading
A State’s Budget Crisis: A Look at the Mess in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has finally announced that he will allow the budget passed by the legislature for the 2015-16 fiscal year to become law. It is now time for the legislature to consider the 2016-17 budget proposal, since the … Continue reading
Tribute: Remembering the Man who Defended Grove City College before the Supreme Court
David M. Lascell, the lawyer who argued Grove City College’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case, died unexpectedly on Friday at age 74. Lascell was a gentleman, superb lawyer, witty, winsome, and just plain likable. He was a Trustee Emeritus and … Continue reading
Talking Trump … Dealing with the Mouth of the Republican Front-Runner
With Donald Trump now such a prominent voice, many of us are confronted with the necessity of explaining him and his behavior to our children. I recently wrote of one such moment. I was watching a Republican presidential debate as … Continue reading
Is it in the Genes? Trump as Businessman
Donald Trump was, of course, famous long before he began his presidential run. That fame rested on his decades-long career in real estate. Though there are heated arguments currently between Trump and commentators regarding his net worth, there is no … Continue reading
A “Fixer Upper” Project of the Heart
HGTV has captured the attention of millions of devoted followers with its widely popular, “Fixer Upper,” a show about Chip and Joanna Gaines, a cowboy carpenter and his naturally beautiful designer wife in Waco, Texas. Chip and Joanna turn their … Continue reading
The Perils of Cooking Intelligence: From Vietnam to ISIS
Recent revelations by the Pentagon’s inspector general indicates that U.S. Central Command, which bears responsibility for military operations in the Middle East, altered intelligence analyses to support the Obama administration’s contention that limited air strikes have “contained ISIS.” If so, … Continue reading
Having a “Trump Talk” with Your Kids
I was watching a Republican presidential debate as my eight-year-old, John, sat next to me. Donald Trump, the front-runner, looked left and ripped Ted Cruz as a “liar” before seamlessly pivoting right and skewering Marco Rubio as a “sweating choke … Continue reading