In many ways, American evangelicalism is somewhat stronger today than it was in, say 1955 - certainly more mainstream and influential in the culture as a whole. But, the increased strength of evangelicalism hasn't increased fast enough to compensate for the total collapse of mainline Protestantism and the pretty steady weakening of my own Roman Catholic Church.

The idea of a post-religious society is a fantasy, ultimately. Human beings are, by nature, religious in various ways.

I think that secular liberals need to recognize that they are still, often, hanging their worldview on what are metaphysical ideas.

My mother converted when I was 16. She was the driving force behind religion in our family. So, I'm sure I was heavily influenced by that. But, I also was, and still am, convinced by the Catholic churches historical claims to represent the continuity with the early Church that other forms of Western Christianity lack.

Even secular people can't really escape from the need to rest their ideas on some belief, some sort of commitment that is not scientific commitment.

The Democratic Party's rigidly pro-choice stance is one of the more unyielding positions in contemporary American politics.

It's not always clear where a healthy patriotism shades into a dangerous nationalism.