Jackr Van News Today

From our country’s revolutionary origins in 1776 until today, Americans have argued, bickered, and contested what non-negotiable values make our nation great.

Protesters supporting Black Lives Matter aim to expose and remove systemic racism because they say it is ruining our nation. Racism constricts minorities’ liberties. It acts like mushy apples that cause all the fruit to…

America’s sweetheart, Judy Garland, interjected a wistful tone when singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the 1944 hit screen musical, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” She longed for a better day. Garland sang…

Traveling from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph usually appear carefree in artistic renderings. The gentle swaying of the donkey upon which Mary rides comforts Mary in the late stage of pregnancy. She…

Eating alone during holidays puts us in a funk. Dining with friends and family, we enjoy eating with others gathered at a meal. Guests at our table cure us of feeling forgotten or pushed to…

Geysers in Yellowstone National Park surprise tourists, often erupting without warning. Breaking through the Earth’s crust, scalding water soars into the sky. Its searing droplets descend near these geysers, leaving adjacent land scorched.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson referred to “Nature’s God.” He believed God was bilingual. This creator of our world and source of our lives speaks through science’s medical discoveries and the biblical morality…

Picture our federal government as if it were smoothly operating like two people of similar weight on a teeter-totter. Seated on either end, these folks trust their similar weight will keep them from being tossed…

Patriotic Americans protect personal liberties preserved in the Bill of Rights. When citizens’ freedoms are pushed to the extreme, however, such tactics produce “hyper-individualism,” warns columnist David Brooks. “Hyper-individualism defines freedom as absence from restraint,”…

“Our history is woeful and wonderful,” reporter Harry Smith observed, interpreting Fourth of July celebrations on his next-day NBC newscast. Smith reported what virtues elevate national achievements and what vile acts tarnish our country’s reputation because they rob vulnerable citizens of their rights. During the mid-1970s bicentennial era, I started writing commentaries about national virtues and vices, analyzing them through the lens of what is happening in politics and religion. Today...