The case is open. Today marks the first day the canonization of John Paul II is officially underway. (Read BBC’s account.) To those for whom the procedures of the Catholic Church in matters such as these seem alien, I point to the lucid explanation of the Reverend Giuseppe D’Alonzo (the man in charge of verifying the claims of John Paul’s miracles): Asked what he thought about making John Paul II a saint, the Rev D’Alonzo replied that it was not...

The battle over public displays of the 10 Commandments indicates to me just how much ground Christians have given up in recent years. Radical secularists have attacked any and all public expressions of Christian faith, most often by means of the “T” word (theocracy) and appeals to the “wall of separation.” What Samuel Gregg calls “doctrinaire secularism” is winning. It has gotten to the point that identifiably or uniquely Christian expressions have been all but expunged from, or at best...

USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios set the record straight at a U.N. conference when he told the gathering that the United States has “no intention” mitting to a goal for foreign aid pegged to a percentage of gross domestic product. Some countries are pressing for the U.S. mit to an official development assistance (ODA) goal of 0.7 percent of GDP, a figure that would oblige the United States to spend more than $90 billion annually. The Washington Times reported that Natsios...

AMD is suing Intel, claiming “freedom of choice and the benefits of innovation…are being stolen away in the microprocessor market,” says Hector Ruiz, AMD chairman, president and chief executive. This case raises concerns over at Fast Company Now, as Kevin Ohannessian writes, I worry that this could start a new trend. Is petitor trouncing you? Sue him. Do you feel your product is underperforming due to unfair opposition? Take your rival to court. It does seem at times that America...

In my years of observing and participating in the legislative process both as a voter and as a legislative aide, I have noted a number of mon to politicians of all political persuasions. High on this list are two items: first, politicians have a deep desire to be seen by their constituents as helpful problem-solvers. If that means bringing the full force of the federal or state government down on an issue that should be solved at the local level,...

Rapper and actor Will Smith urged rappers to serve as role models for munities at the annual BET Awards. “The kids that are making these trends, making these songs, don’t understand the level of effect that black Americans have around the world,” Smith said in an interview. “Black Americans are so elevated, it’s almost worship.” The gangsta lifestyle is celebrated in munities for its portrayal of strength, Smith said. “That’s the image of survivors. The dude that sells the drugs...

Here’s a valuable article highlighting the author’s experience with Augustine during “a homiletical emergency.” David Neff writes in “Preaching Augustine” that the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) “is heavily used by college and university teachers who want to assign classic spiritual reading without adding to their students’ already hefty textbook bills. The other main users seem to be people preparing sermons or Bible studies and those who simply want to read for edification.” And for further edification, from Augustine’s Confessions:...

Recent high-profile examples of bination of violence and technology, such as “happy-slapping,” bring into sharp focus the need for moral judgment in the marketplace. The social nature of violence and sin mean that “no government, economy, family, or society can survive if a critical mass of citizens do not exercise a particular level of self-government and restraint.” Read the full text here. ...

Now that Chief Justice William Rehnquist, 80, has cancer, coupled with talk that Justices Sandra Day O’Connor, 75, and John Paul Stevens, 85, might also consider stepping down, there is quite a buzz in the beltway about the Supreme Court. Majority Leader Bill Frist said Tuesday he’s been talking to Democratic leader Harry Reid about nominees for a potential vacancy on the Supreme Court. Reid later offered what he considered good possibilities: GOP Sens. Mel Martinez of Florida, Mike DeWine...

In reading Is the Market Moral? (Brookings Institution Press, 2003), I e across a passage containing what I suspect is mon misconception about markets. “Unlike the market, which values people according to their resources and the productivity they bring to the market, Christian teachings on poverty ascribe value to a group that has no resources.” The problematic premise implicit in this statement is that ‘the market’ somehow bestows value and that the value it bestows is somehow absolute. But the...

Last year, when I was still a Legislative Assistant in the Michigan House of Representatives, I had a front-row seat for the debate over House Bill 5632, the legislation that raised cigarette taxes by 75 cents and placed Michigan at #2 on the list for highest cigarette taxes in the country. If my memory serves me correctly, the debate was utterly predictable. Those in support of the tax argued in two primary (and seemingly contradictory) directions: first, that the state...

From today’s Ecumenical News International: UN, NGOs told Faith-Based Organizations crucial in AIDS fight Geneva (ENI). Up to 40 per cent of health care in poor countries is delivered by private religious institutions according to the first systematic study of faith-based organizations and HIV/AIDS. Dr Rabia Mathai, the senior vice-president, Global Program Policy, of the US-based Catholic Medical Mission Board, told members of United Nations’ and non-governmental organizations in Geneva that faith-based organizations are “true partners” in the struggle against...