According to a recent Huffington Post/YouGov poll of Americans, 32% of us expressed our desire for Christianity to become the “official” religion of the United States. Forty-two percent of respondents opposed that notion, with 32% of them “strongly opposed.” I share their strong opposition. That’s why it really isn’t so inconsequential that a group of eleven Republican state representatives in North Carolina this past week pushed for a state resolution declaring that while the U. S.

It’s true. She was born in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Only it wasn’t North Korea back then—it was simply Korea. My grandparents, Ralph and Mildred Watts, were young missionaries in Korea when Mom was born, and they ended up serving seventeen years in that country.

I’ve been amazed—on two counts—over the public reaction to the recent election of a new pontiff for the Roman Catholic Church. The global press has been awash in accolades for Pope Francis. No doubt the dramatic contrast between the personalities of this new pope and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, has fueled the news media’s complimentary, sometimes glowing, coverage of this new reign.  And Pope Francis’ publicly warm and modest persona have only heightened the fascination of the secular press.

Remember that childhood rhyme? “Every party needs a pooper, that’s why we invited you—party pooper, party pooper!” I certainly don’t want to rain on Wall Street’s parade and become the party pooper nobody wants. But in the midst of the hoopla over the Dow Jones industrial average’s new all-time high on Tuesday (14,253.77), could it be a bit premature to be singing, “Happy days are here again!”?

I keep wondering: Does the intransigence of the politicians and legislators of this nation somehow portend a dark chapter ahead for this government? That’s hardly an uncommon thought, given the headlines these days out of Washington. But could it be that the political and ideological gridlock we are witnessing plays into a  much deeper and darker narrative than the public or its leaders realize? And if so, how? One of these days the game of political chicken will backfire.

Remember the story about Chicken Little, meandering down the road when an acorn fell from the oak tree, striking her on the head? Panicked, she ran down the road squawking to all who would listen: “The sky is falling, the sky is falling, and we must tell the king!” Chicken Little’s cry in Henry Penny’s children’s tale has become a familiar idiom for hysteria over disaster that really isn’t imminent.

The world was stunned this past Monday morning when in his weekly meeting with Vatican cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation: “ . . .

What a fitting text our Black History Committee has chosen for the theme of this Black History Sabbath and month—the words of our Lord Himself: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Have you been following the debate about change—the change in your pocket, that is? In order to save money President Obama is recommending that the composition of the U.S. penny be reconsidered.  All because of a long word nobody can spell, let alone pronounce: “seigniorage” (and that’s not Spanish for “Mr. Age”). Seignorage is the technical term that describes the difference between the value of a currency and its production cost.

So now that the pomp and circumstance of the Inauguration are past and the last remnants of paper flags and confetti have been swept away, what shall we learn? The frequently repeated reminder about the peaceful transition of government in this land is worth restating, I suppose. And the old adage about memorizing your lines was proven true in the President’s momentary slip in repeating the oath, giving comfort to all of us who have done the same. But the music—it was majestic, wasn’t it?—by any standards, one could argue. The U.S.