Two Caesars
Two statues standing near each other in Freedom Plaza, a Founding Father and the enslaved soldier who helped row Washington across the Delaware, prompt a reflection on why America needs a shared, honest story of its founding, true enough for a divided country to gather around together.
Reading Washington Again at 250
George Washington's Farewell Address, in full, published in honor of America's 250th, with a few passages that stuck out to the Clapham staff.
Toy Story 5: Pads, Parents and Play
Toy Story 5 is Pixar's most quietly serious film in years: a stirring defense of present fathers, embodied play, and the imaginative life of children in an age of "always listening" screens.
Fatherhood: A Love That Lays Itself Down
A Father’s Day reflection on what defines fatherhood: quiet, self-sacrificial love a man offers to the mother of his child and to the next generation.
What Screens Can’t Give Us
Booed commencement speakers, phone-free hangouts, record Broadway attendance; the most digitally saturated generation in history is staging a counter-reaction, and what it reveals is not a trend but a deep human hunger reasserting itself.
Naked No More: Faith and the Public Square
When faith is excluded from public life, the vacuum doesn't stay empty—and whether what fills it is generous and pluralistic or reactive and coercive depends on choices we still have time to make.
Motherhood is a Sacred Calling. Caring for Moms is a Sacred Responsibility.
Motherhood asks us to lay down our lives for our children before we even know them. But while Jesus was called to die for the sake of humanity, mothers are called to live and raise their children. This Mother’s Day, let’s make sure every mom can live to celebrate with her family.
Does the F-Bomb Still Shock and Awe?
Making goodness fashionable again may be the most subversive act available to us, repairing the broken windows of our language before the coarsening of our public discourse becomes the only standard our children know.
The Final Fight
A tribute to the late Dr. John M. Perkins — and an introduction to Salt and Light Songs, a new series pairing musicians with the stories that inspired them.
Disney Cruise and Positive Virtue Signaling
A Disney cruise line advertisement and the 'broken windows' theory illuminate why virtue modeling — not virtue signaling — is how culture should be shaped and transmitted.
The Revenge of Reality: A Renaissance of the Real
As AI floods our world with infinite content, something irreplaceable is calling us back to embodied, live, and unrepeatable human experiences.
Can We Celebrate the Super Bowl Marriage Together?
In a time of social fragmentation, the marriage that took place during this year’s Super Bowl showed how public virtue can inspire communities and strengthen families.
America: Between a Rock and a Bad Bunny
As America nears its 250th anniversary, our growing cultural and political fractures, symbolized by a divided Super Bowl halftime, threaten the shared experiences that bind us together. Considering the upcoming halftime performance, Principal Mark Rodgers encourages fostering common ground by choosing unity without uniformity.
Creative Capital at Work
Mark Rodgers invites readers into three storytelling projects from MORE Productions that carry forward the Clapham tradition of sharing creative capital to bear witness to faith and the common good.
Clapham’s 2025 Christmas Viewing Guide
Clapham Staff’s media recommendations for the 2025 holiday season.
Lessons and Carols to Rebuild Social Capital
Mark Rodgers and Sarah Robinson reflect on how holidays highlight the everyday strain of polarization, and argue that rebuilding social capital—through curiosity, humility, courage, and bridge-building at home—is essential for shared flourishing.
Road to Redemption or Radicalization?
Mark Rodgers considers the turn toward organized religion among young males suffering, and emphasizes the importance of good discipleship from their religious leaders as they look for stability.
Who are the Rich Men?
Mark Rodgers examines what Oliver Anthony’s musical appeal reveals about rural America, and extends an invitation to all of us to listen more carefully and uncover common ground.
The True Dividing Line: Part Two
Following up on our September newsletter, we consider what it how our understanding of truth is being reshaped in an age of digital media and AI, reminding us of the importance of critical thinking and shared dialogue to find common ground.