My father had 8 siblings. Most of them had large families. The headcount when we gathered for the annual family reunion gave deeper meaning to the words “extended family.” Our cousins were a cherished second wave of siblings with whom we shared bloodline and characteristics. Recently my ...

It's beginning to be a habit. It, in this case, is the messy business of center-left political jettisoning one leader suddenly deemed unelectable and, without resort to the usual rules or democratic procedure, designating a replacement. It's the process that came fairly close to giving ...

I had the opportunity this week to be in Philadelphia exactly 250 years after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, which occurred on July 8, 1776. As I walked past the structure we call Independence Hall (originally called the Pennsylvania State House) and the Liberty ...

"The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of society..." -- James Madison, The Federalist No. 57 When I was asked to serve in several ecclesiastical positions that ...

The news that solar power recently overtook coal generation in the United States has been treated by some as a turning point worth celebrating. But before policymakers and grid planners draw the wrong conclusion, they should pause. This milestone may say less about the strength of America’s ...

The United States nation faces threats that extend beyond the familiar divide between Democrats and Republicans. Increasingly, two ideological movements -- one on the far left, one emerging on the populist right -- share a willingness to undermine the principles that have long defined the ...