How long is forever? It’s the kind of question you might expect to hear in a metaphysics class or a bad love song, but neither of those venues is likely to produce a satisfactory answer. It often depends on context. When a president says “forever” he clearly means until the end of his term, after […]

This week, let us consider the nature of evil, the human face Satan wears as he walks among us. No horns or tail, no goatee or widow’s peak, no pitchfork or scarlet jacket. No, I think Satan is serious and sober, righteous and mediocre. A churchgoer, a deep thinker, a man of best intentions. Satan […]

Happy Tax Day, our annual celebration of American democracy. Today, more than any other day, Americans participate in the governance of their country. Last election day, only 36 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, but by April 15th, everyone but the wealthiest 10 percent has to have paid his or her taxes. A […]

Spring arrived suddenly in the Champlain Valley last weekend. Crocuses and hyacinths resolutely pushed green shoots through soil still damp from melting snow. Church Street was thronged with people, who having sat indoors for months, needed to do nothing more than stroll in the sun. Buskers and food carts were out; the more enterprising restaurant […]