As I begin writing this article, reports come in like a tsunami about the horrors between Israel and Gaza. Meanwhile, American college students protest with slogans that oversimplify amazingly complex issues. In Washington, our political leaders seem more interested in their own fame than in the well-being of our country or the world. It’s enough...
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We owe a debt to those among us who have the ability to detach themselves from the era in which we live and help us see the defining characteristics of our age. That’s why I love David Brooks’ columns, and listening to Ted Talks and reading theology. And while there may be many ways...
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“Vanity! Vanity! And vanity everywhere, even on the brink of the grave, and among men ready to die for the highest convictions. Vanity!”[1] – Leo Tolstoy, “Sevastopol in May 1855” The news headlines from a recent New York Times read: “Blast Exposes Rift Between Turkey and U.S. Over ISIS,” “New West Bank Violence as Palestinian Boy...
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“Never say that a soldier does not know the cost of war.” As the story comes to its sober conclusion, this is the response of the British army officer to the cabinet secretary who is bitterly critical of the decision-making at the heart of the film, “Eye in the Sky.” Protesting loudly, she is sure...
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“It matters because it reminds us of the reality of evil.” I remember hearing a National Public Radio story years ago, the very day that the Holocaust Memorial opened in 1993. The interview was with a professor of political philosophy from Catholic University whom NPR had asked to visit the new museum on their behalf,...
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