But the underlying, and probably unintended, message of movies like Saving Private Ryan is that there are no greater goals or eternal truths—just me and my hang-ups. The political is personal: Heroism and ideals are illusory; self-preservation and self-expression are real. ’Tis the season for Oscar-contending movies, and by the look and feel of it,... Continue Reading

A new Barna Group study illustrates that no single Christian leader captures the attention of the nation’s population. When asked to identify the single most influential Christian leader in the U.S. today, two out of every five Americans (41%) are unable to think of anyone who would meet that description. Billy Graham is the name... Continue Reading

Corporate and familial success in South Korea feed a country with per capita GDP in 2011 of $30,000 (rising from 1960’s per capita GDP of $177)—and an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent. North Korea, with a nearly identical culture and history until communist takeover in 1945, by contrast has a per capita GDP of maybe... Continue Reading

Mayor Tony Court said he’s yet to receive the banner in the mail, but he refuses to add it when it arrives. “It violates the First Amendment. It’s endorsing atheism,” he said, adding that the crèche “is a statue. It’s not a doctrinal statement.” A western Pennsylvania mayor refused to include a banner from an... Continue Reading

A church service at a public school, more than run-of-the-mill religious expression, could constitute “establishment,” the circuit court wrote. “The place has, at least for a time, become the church.” After more than 16 years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ended an appeal of a ban on churches renting out public schools with a... Continue Reading

The…amendment does not cite same-sex “marriage” but takes a broader approach that would include such a conflict with conscience. It says a chaplain “who, as a matter of conscience or moral principle, does not wish to perform a marriage may not be required to do so.” Senators passed the legislation Nov. 30 by voice vote... Continue Reading

The Southern California city that issued citations against homeowners Chuck and Stephanie Fromm, for holding Bible studies in their home, has reversed course after attorneys for Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) took the case to court. The Fromms 4,700-square-foot home is situated on more than an acre of land with one side of the street not... Continue Reading

Earlier this year, Obama hosted an Easter prayer breakfast with several pastors like Tim Keller, Leith Anderson, and Andy Stanley. holy Week is a reminder of God’s grace, Obama said during the breakfast. “This ‘Amazing Grace’ calls me to pray,” he said President Obama highlighted his faith in his brief speech at the White House... Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule if children conceived by in vitro fertilization following the death of their father can receive Social Security benefits. The high court will decide if the Third Circuit Court of Appeals was correct in ruling that twins born four years after the death of their father qualify as his children... Continue Reading

I believe people are waking up—but they’re waking up on opposite sides of the bed and there may not be enough of them on our side. The political whipsawing that encourages John Podhoretz confounds me. Are we principled and determined, or muddled and confused? As long as there’s an American center, a historical sense of... Continue Reading