Bottle rockets win the day

Hot takes are like bottle rockets. They flash, move quickly, startle, and burn out in a second. Most fall harmlessly to the ground. Others strike objects or start fires.

Review: The Benedict Option

The barbarians aren’t just at the gates, they’re running our institutions, policing our culture, and creating Amazon Original Series.

What, then, defines us and them?

The average American’s religious identity is sitting in the background gathering dust like great-aunt Gertrude’s old KJV Bible, while other traits, like ethnicity and national origin, fill the void. Today’s partisans find their purpose in extra-biblical sources.

Your sign is a house on sand

It’s exhausting to fully understand ourselves let alone others. We take shortcuts and make leaps instead of proceeding carefully and with small steps. If Trevor Noah actually had to explain the nuances of a particular controversy, The Daily Show would sound like an academic conference.