"I think we’d be looking at a different situation if the Bundy Ranch belonged to a bunch of black people."

"Defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession: you're saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it's not literally illegal to express."

"The city burned, and the church was consumed, but in the smoke the Lutherans of Chicago roared for a little fairness."

"I found myself thinking of the many times I had hired a man who looked like me to shovel my driveway. Would the officer have been any more justified in questioning that man without offering an explanation?"

"The preference I’m speaking of is less about policy and development and more about memory. East Liberty was my home."

"The strong camaraderie among professional cheerleaders was a selling point for recruiting dancers, but it was also a strategy for keeping the women in line."

"Which 'you' is from a Sonicflood praise song? (The other two are about sex.)"

Steve Thorngate

The Century managing editor is also a church musician and songwriter.

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