In an attempt to trap Jesus, some Pharisees and Herodians asked him, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” In response, Jesus said, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that...

It’s tax day, and though I’m sure you’ve already begun your revelry, I suggest take a moment of silence to relish that warm, fuzzy feeling we get when pressured to pay up or head to the Big House. Indeed, with all of the euphemistic Circle-of-Protection talk bouncing around evangelicalism —reminding us of our “moral obligation” to treat political planners as economic masters and the “least of these” as political pawns —we should be jumping for joy at the opportunity. Nuclear...

Ross Douthat ofThe New York Times (and plenary speaker at Acton University 2014) talks about diversity and dishonesty, focusing on the recent resignation of Brendan Eich at Mozilla and the decision by Brandeis University to withdraw an honorary degree from human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Douthat’s problem isn’t so much that these things happened; it’s that those charged with publicly discussing the issues seem so bent on lying. In both cases, Mozilla and Brandeis, there was a striking difference...

[Note: ‘7 Figures’ is a new, occasional series highlighting data and information from a variety of surveys and reports.] 1. The average federal tax rate for all households (tax liabilities divided by e, including government transfer payments) before taxes is 18.1 percent. 2. Households in the top quintile (including the top percentile) paid 68.8 percent of all federal taxes, households in the middle quintile paid 9.1 percent, and those in the bottom quintile paid 0.4 percent of federal taxes. (Quintiles...

Over the past few years, Anton LaVey and his bookThe Satanic Biblehas grown increasingly popular, selling thousands of new copies. His impact has been especially pronounced in our nation’s capital. One U.S. senator has publicly confessed to being a fan of theThe Satanic Biblewhile another calls it his “foundation book.” On the other side of Congress, a representative speaks highly of LaVey and mends that his staffers read the book. A leading radio host called LaVey “brilliant” and quotations from...

A failed charter school and someone looking to start a charter school in Kansas can only look to Kansas City, Mo., and wonder what impact high-performing public charter schools may have for kids in the state. ...

If you really care about e inequality, notes John Goodman, you need only focus on one thing — the inequality of educational opportunity: The topic du jour on the left these days is inequality. But why does the left care about inequality? Do they really want to lift those at the bottom of the e ladder? Or are they just looking for one more reason to increase the power of government? If you care about those at the bottom then...

What is Holy Week? Holy Week is the week before Easter, a period which includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Holy week does not include Easter Sunday. When did Holy Week get started? The first recording of a Holy Week observance was made by Egeria, a Gallic woman who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 381-384. In an account of her travels she wrote for a group of women back...

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah 29:11isa popular verse among many of today’s Christians, as Evan Koons humorously points out in a new article at Q Ideas. “Christians love this verse,” he writes. “It has all the ideas and values we crave: prosperity, safety, security, hope, longevity. It’s the verse we most associate with...

Christian’s Library Presshas just released a new translationof Abraham Kuyper’s Scholastica IandII,two convocation addresses delivered toVrije Universiteit(Free University) during his two years as rector (first in 1889, and then again in 1900). The addresses are published under the title Scholarship,and demonstrate Kuyper’s core belief that “knowledge (curriculum) and behavior (pedagogy) are embedded in our core beliefs about the nature of God, humanity, and the world,” as summarized by translator Nelson Kloosterman. To celebrate the release,CLP will be giving away three...