The Implosion of the Left: Diagnosing a Troubling Record of Public Engagement

“You push back on them. Tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere!” California Congresswoman Maxine Waters stood gesticulating in the midst of a crowd of supporters in Los Angeles, whipping up emotions against Republicans. She belted a voice developed over five years in Washington — poised and confident, knowing well what sort of waves her words would create. Stumping alone on the far-Left Coast, Ms. Waters’ aggression echoed the boiling sentiment of millions of progressive Americans, enraged at our country’s current circumstances. Although the rhetoric of Ms. Waters and her allies may seem unnecessarily provocative, even dangerous, the truth is

Memorial Day: A Salute to the Fallen

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Begun in the United States following the American Civil War, Memorial Day is a time to dodge the momentary distractions of policy, and in deep sobriety lift up the highest traits of humankind. We do not lift up war, but the lives of those taken lifeless from the field of battle. Today, we honor love. We honor service. We honor sacrifice. Generations are defined by great challenges and even greater humans willing to give all to overcome these challenges. Some have led, and

When Ivory Towers Crumble: A Christian Call for Political Action

It’s a sad day when practice is held hostage to theory, when goodness is crippled by perfection. In our ivory towers, presbyteries, and libraries, we parse truth and dream of the good life. We paint pictures of a world as it was intended to be, driven by faith and true love, and subject to a higher Order within which we flourish according to the fullness of our nature. But life is not lived in an ivory tower. What happens when our ability to act is jeopardized? This past year, a renewed discussion of Christian church history and community practice has