The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 offers an occasion to reflect on how the American Revolution forged not only a nation but a people. That opportunity makes the work of Gordon Wood as salient as it has ever been. Wood, among America’s most distinguished historians, has devoted his career to elucidating how the revolutionary generation not...

　　What Every Couple Can Learn from Mary and Joseph This Christmas 　　By: Heather Riggleman 　　While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth,...

　　Elections do not tell us very much in the normal course of events. The wins and losses of American parties hinge on a variety of shockingly ephemeral factors: candidate quality, the state of the economy, national mood, etc. The result is that most elections amount to a response to a temporary set of circumstances that no more reveal true shifts...

　　What to Do When Friendships Need Repair 　　By Laura Bailey 　　Bible Reading 　　“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 　　“I just don’t know if it is worth...

　　Big data is often a big bust, but not always. Big data has resolved a longstanding debate about when “liberal” first acquired a political meaning. 　　And, what do you know, Friedrich Hayek was right. 　　I use big data in a scholarly article published in the Journal of Contextual Economics, showing decisively that a political meaning was christened “liberal’—for the first...

　　Weekly Overview: 　　We serve a God of boundaries. In his limitless capacity, endless creativity, and boundless existence he still chose to create boundaries. He still had vision for what was good, right, pleasing, and perfect. And as children made in his image, we are to live, think, and create as he does. In a world marked by busyness from seemingly...

　　A Prayer for Generosity Toward Those in Need During Christmas 　　By: Christine F. Perry 　　Bible Reading 　　“Each of you should give what you have decided in yourheartto give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” -2 Corinthians 9:7NIV 　　I was holding downthe sub shopaloneone December day.Mind you, this was not the standard of operation. However, we...

　　Weekend, December 7, 2024 　　Struggling with Doubt 　　Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’ (Luke 1:18 NLT) 　　Have you ever prayed for something, but it took a long time for God to answer it? Then again, have you ever prayed...

　　As an adjunct philosophy professor in the early 2010s, I taught excerpts from Charles Murray’s Coming Apart. The course, “Introduction to Ethics,” was required for all students, and the only class I taught in my seven years at the University of St. Thomas. Needless to say, Coming Apart is not traditionally listed as a great work of moral philosophy. It...

　　Churchill introduces My Early Life, his autobiography covering 1874 to 1904, with this observation: “I find I have drawn a picture of a vanished age.” The book is his odyssey. It describes his early wanderings and fortunes as a young officer, journalist, and member of parliament. It depicts not only the actions but also the opinions and convictions of his...

　　Why It's Important to Be on the Same Page with Debt 　　By: Carrie Lowrance 　　Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is a servant to the lender.(Proverbs 22:7, NLT) 　　Money problems are one of the biggest issues in marriage. It is definitely a topic that needs to be addressed before tying the knot so both parties know...

　　Commerce is supposed to be apolitical. Free-market exchanges promote economic efficiency and consumer welfare because consensual transactions between buyers and sellers are indifferent to anything but the price—Adam Smith’s “invisible hand.” Money is fungible and business is impersonal. All that matters is voluntary cooperation by uncoerced actors. As Nobel laureate Milton Friedman explained in Free to Choose, “The price system...