Essay

The Critic Within: On Father Andrew Greeley (1928-2013)

Father Andrew Greeley, who died in May at the age of 85, used to joke that he would be remembered as the Catholic priest who …

By Robert A. Orsi

Essay

The Economic Vision of Pope Francis, a Pontiff for the Poor

When Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement, most evaluations of his pontificate prominently featured the adjective “conservative.” Yet, this same pope, as well as his …

By Michael Sean Winters

Essay

What Marriage Equality Isn’t

The Supreme Court’s recent decisions concerning same-sex marriage have been heavily touted as victories for the LGBT community. The material benefits that accompany marriage and …

By Kent L. Brintnall

Essay

The End of DOMA and the Dismantling of the “Straight State”

Advocates for marriage equality came away from yesterday’s Supreme Court pronouncements on same-sex marriage more jubilant than battered. But there was plenty of hurt to …

By Sarah Barringer Gordon

Essay

Why I Fight Against Same-Sex Marriage

Rich Stearns is a servant, a Wharton grad who leapt from the top of corporate America and landed in a stream, knees bent bracing. Arms …

By Eric Teetsel

Essay

Unrepresentative: How the NRA and Planned Parenthood Failed Recent Tests

The donor rolls of the National Rifle Association and Planned Parenthood do not share many of the same names. But these organizations’ responses to the …

By Michael Peppard

Essay

North Carolina’s “Official Religion”: The Convoluted History of American States and Established Religions

Last week, in a move that seems more reminiscent of 1783 than 2013, North Carolina legislators proposed a bill declaring their right to establish an …

By Benjamin E. Park

Essay

Declaration of Conscience

On June 1, 1950, Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), a Republican Senator from Maine, delivered her “Declaration of Conscience” speech to the U.S. Senate. Though she …

By Margaret Chase Smith