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Oh, how I love the Irish. Sure, I’m biased, being half a Celt myself with legion cousins still living on the old sod. (Shout out to the Bradys and Caffreys in Ballyjamesduff!) As a self-confessed Gaelophile, I’ve been following the various Irish Occupy groups on Facebook for several months now, and they are endlessly entertaining — and interesting. The Occupy …

Ferris Bueller is back and ready for the Super Bowl. Kermit and Piggy strike back (at FoxNews), a dad covers Depeche Mode songs with his kids. Animals acting out scenes from Star Wars, the case of the missing ladybugs, a Sojo Octet (we told them to wear matching outfits but they didn’t listen), and other odd tales… http://youtu.be/BxQSEvHdyjQ read more …

The need for Red Letter Christians to no longer be labeled “evangelicals” became abundantly clear this past Saturday following the South Carolina Republican Primary. Most Evangelicals claim to be politically non-partisan, and say they only identify with the Republican Party because the Republicans are committed to “family values.” The truthfulness of that claim became questionable this past Saturday when South …

Editor’s Note: In a recent New York Times op-ed, Nicholas Kristof slammed Village Voice Media’s Backpage.com for refusing to shut down its adult services section, which has repeatedly been linked to the sex trafficking of young girls. Check out a sneak preview of Associate Editor Zab Palmberg’s forthcoming piece in the March issue of Sojourners Magazine about the faith community’s …

The Surprising Evangelical Support For Newt Gingrich (OPINION); Florida Evangelicals A Different Breed Of Voter Than Brethren In Iowa, South Carolina; Elite Wall Street Donations Jumped 700 percent In The Last 20 Years; Leslie H. Gelb On How President Obama Should Handle Iran; Americans Intrigued But Wary Still Of Mormon Beliefs; It Looks Like Civil War; In Yemen, A U.S.-Backed …

During this 35-minute audio story, Hitt walks through many aspects of the immigration bill and introduces real stories of people interacting with it — from Scott Beason, a Republican senator who was the primary sponsor for the bill last season, to Latino families pulling their kids out of school, quitting their jobs, and remaining safe in their isolated neighborhoods. Hitt …

Krumbine posited a question, a quandary about how we go on “when the honeymoon is over.” How do we sustain love? What do we treasure and how do we sustain the affection and even the excitement? This morning’s First Thoughts is about Gratitude. As usual, your video responses and comments are needed to flesh this thing out. I’m only starting …

When our parents teach us at a very young age to say the magic words — please and thank you — they give us our first lessons in morality. Manners are the first step to morality. Etiquette is the first gesture of ethics. Manner and morals derive from the mores of a society. Etiquette derives from the ethos and ethics …

What does it mean to be a Christian when organizations such as The Family create a Jesus that does not hear the prayers of the poor? An organization that prays to the powerful in place of God? That participates in the global crucifixion of the poor by turning Jesus’ cross into a social ladder for politicians to climb upwards, past …

It’s deadline day for Occupy DC: From MSNBC – Occupy protesters in the nation’s capital were preparing for a noon Monday deadline set by federal park authorities to end camping at some of the movement’s last remaining large encampments, with some “surprises” in store, one of the activists said. From The Huffington Post – U.S. Park Police say an officer …

Quote of the day. “Loyalty that hides problematic conduct is a false loyalty, for it elevates reputation over reality, and esteems image over character. Though we may believe we are acting to protect the institution, in reality we do the institution and individuals far greater damage …” – Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, in …

Lately I’ve been thinking about why it’s important for an organization, be it religious or for-profit, to be more cannibalistic. In the late 19th century, Kodak emerged as a trailblazing company that ultimately brought photography to the masses. An American-born business, the golden boxes of film became synonymous with family photos and even professional photography. As a little guy, I …

How many people wanted to be President of the United States when they were younger? I’d imagine quite a few. I certainly did, although I now realize that such an attempt would have resulted in something of a “birther” controversy. As a kid, what made me want to be in such a position of authority wasn’t necessarily the power and …

One of the U.S. Constitution’s difficult balances is found in the freedom of religion clause of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” What happens when those two values conflict? That is the issue with the controversy over whether religiously-affiliated organizations should be required to offer free …