How much of the Christmas story is “real” and how much of both this story—and ultimately the entire record of the the Scriptures—is historically accurate? This is a much more complicated question than it may appear at first glance.

Over the past several years, the pace of the changes in China’s volatile housing market could give anyone whiplash. The Chinese government, worried that property prices were climbing too high, first started taking steps to hold down prices. In some places, they fell by as much as ten percent. Then, fearful of the disastrous economic effects of a bursting […]

By now, the Three Kings are well on their way to Bethlehem, and the Christmas season is drawing to a close. But the Three Kings (actually, ‘wise men’ according to Matthew’s gospel) aren’t just bringing their famous three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They bring with them another set of questions that we have […]

Is Zanzibar jumping on the Islamist bandwagon? The tide of extremism washing through the Mediterranean basin seems to be reaching the shores of the traditionally laid back tourist Mecca off the Tanzanian coast.According to the Financial Times, radicalism is spreading rapidly via extremist madrassas that receive substantial funding from the usual sources. This outside funding […]

A new UN report estimates that 60,000-plus people have been killed in Syria between March 2011 and today. Worse, the rate of casualties is increasing as the war drags on, as both sides begin to use heavier weapons. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay put it bluntly: “Collectively, we have fiddled at the edges […]

The New York Times reports that, in an echo of last month’s tragedy, seven more aid workers in Pakistan have been killed by two armed gunmen while returning from work. It is widely believed that this attack and others like it have been perpetrated by the Pakistani Taliban, which has earned a reputation for attacks against aid workers. […]

A U.S. non-profit with close ties to the Obama administration and center left politicians in Israel has commissioned two separate public opinion polls in Israel. Each found widespread support for a peace agreement, including among right wing Israelis.In both polls, respondents were presented with a two-state solution similar to the ones discussed at Camp David […]

We must get rid of the IRS and the present tax system that goes with it. Next to money-leaking corporate and union lobbyists paying for politicians’ political ads and the inside-baseball influence of financial-sector plutocrats, nothing tilts the playing field in favor of the wealthy like the IRS code. So it needs to be the […]

Despite the earnest wishes of Western commentators, who were excited early on for the Tahrir Square Twitterati and other liberal Arab Springers, one of the biggest winners to emerge from the turmoil in the Middle East over the past two years has been the Salafi tendency. These ultraconservatives used to keep a low profile, writes […]

Illinois may be on the cusp of a public pension overhaul. After months of wrangling with Democrats in the legislature and with public unions, Governor Pat Quinn has called for the statehouse to pass a bill to shore up the state’s pensions system before the new legislature is sworn in next week. The New York […]