“Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Mark 12:17 Living Paraphrase) When considering what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God, what happens when the federal government seeks to replace God by defining “church” and when life begins to have value, the […]

My parents taught me never to speak ill of the dead, but in the case of Fred Phelps, who died last week at the age of 84, I think they would have made an exception. The man, who will be referred to in this column without the modifier “reverend,” because there was nothing reverent about […]

What is it about Western leaders from Neville Chamberlain to George W. Bush who want to find good in men of bad character? Acting as if he were endowed by special insight bestowed upon no one else, President George W. Bush declared in 2001 that he had looked Vladimir Putin in the eye and “was […]

Every year we are subjected to lists. Forbe’s magazine lists the world’s wealthiest individuals. Time magazine lists the most “influential” people, though real influence is difficult to define or quantify. What I’ve never seen is a list of satisfied people, much less stories about how they attained satisfaction. Arianna Huffington is trying to fill that […]

OXON HILL, Md. — The first “people” I recognized on arriving at last week’s Conservative Political Action Committee gathering just outside Washington were two “stormtroopers” and a Wookiee from the 1977 film “Star Wars.” Some of the speeches also expressed sentiments from the past, though not as cleverly as those in costume: Obama is a […]

The Obama administration is showing it can be tough on foreign policy. Unfortunately, that toughness is not directed at Russia and its incursion into Crimea, but at Israel, America’s ally. In an interview with President Obama, prior to the Washington arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Jeffrey Goldberg of Bloomberg.com writes that the president planned […]

In Arizona has come a test of the motto conservative Christians like to invoke: “Hate the sin, love the sinner.” Republican Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed the “religious freedom bill” passed by the Republican legislature. While there is no mention in the bill of same-sex marriage, or even homosexuals, most people believe same-sex marriage and […]

What you think of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, depends on who you believe. Is the freshman senator on an “ego trip,” putting himself before country (Dana Milbank, The Washington Post), or is he standing on his principles (Cruz’s conservative supporters)? ABC chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl says Cruz is “so hated” among GOP senators […]

After much criticism from conservative quarters, the Federal Communications Commission has decided, at least for now, to withdraw plans for its proposed study of how media organizations gather and report news. The expressed goal of the survey was to determine if the “critical information needs” of the public are being met. In making the announcement […]