After visiting the United States, G. K. Chesterton asked himself the question, “What makes America peculiar?” He answered it with accustomed perspicacity: “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth in the Declaration of... Read More →

  I am the proud owner of a coffee mug that displays wisely worded encouragement from Thoreau: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. I got it at a high-end “Second Time Around” sale at a well-heeled Episcopal Church in New York City—for... Read More →

  You shall not covet (Exod 20:17).  Defending the vulnerable—the fatherless and the widow—is costly. It is costly because people who profit by oppression will not stand by idly and allow their darkness to be exposed, but will fight back when their interests are threatened.... Read More →

  You shall not bear false witness (Exod 20:16).   “Verbicide must precede homocide.” The sentence is from Paul Greenberg, an American journalist. What he means is that, in order to do the unthinkable, we must convince ourselves that the unthinkable is acceptable.  We do... Read More →