“You don’t have the votes. You don’t have the votes.” So sing Thomas Jefferson and James Madison at their rival, Alexander Hamilton, in Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit musical. Hamilton, serving as the first Treasury secretary, at that point lacked the…
In a Catholic Church that seems to be led by cowardly sheep instead of shepherds, San Francisco’s courageous Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone is an exception. Unlike the majority of bishops throughout the country who have been silent in the face of…
Though we could talk for hours about the meaning of life and liberty, at least everyone knows the basic meanings of the words. “Pursuit of happiness,” however, is not so obvious. John Adams provided some helpful insight into all three…
No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. – Article VI Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. – Amendment I We…
Schadenfreude seems inconsistent with the notion of Christian charity. But could there be a more appropriate and justifiable emotion when watching the Saudi royals deal with austerity? Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will find it harder to buy a bigger…
On Easter Sunday my wife and I took a long and probably illegal drive through rural Virginia, where we saw many people practicing a pious form of social distancing. Christians. Pastors in parking lots and fields, preaching through bullhorns and…
Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, faces yet another lawsuit for alleged discrimination against the LGBT community. The Colorado baker refrains from baking cakes that violate his Christian convictions, and this time, he spurned a transgendered person. This time around…
In the last century, and especially the last decade, the locus of church-state or “Free Exercise” conflicts, and related Supreme Court cases, has shifted from arguments over legislative enactments to controversies surrounding administrative or agency decisions. Moreover, many of these…
Religious persecution is on the rise worldwide. Real persecution, including death and prison for people of faith. American Christians fear that they are glimpsing their future. Activists hostile to religion are using control of cultural institutions, business, and government bureaucracies…
