(RNS) Religion's enemy isn't government. If anything, the American system has bent over backwards to protect religion from the accountability, fairness and justice that are expected of other citizens. No, religion's enemy -- if it has one -- is itself. By Tom Ehrich.

(RNS) Too many providers -- churches, retailers, even politicians -- come across as having a low opinion of their constituents. Voters know this recession better than their politicians, and believers seem to take their faith more seriously than the institutions that seek to enroll them as members. By Tom Ehrich.

(RNS) Why do I find Facebook encouraging? I am encouraged when people want to express themselves. I am encouraged that people risk disagreeing. I am encouraged that people still care about their society, and that we haven't left the public square to the shouters and ideologues. By Tom Ehrich.

(RNS) I don't think any enterprise has done more huffing, more blocking, bickering and begging for time than Christianity. We are the case study for trying to stand still in a rapidly moving stream, getting swept away, and still claiming the moral high ground while we drown. By Tom Ehrich.

(RNS) Welcome to the marketplace of self-determination, where everything from fact to faith is made a fungible commodity. We will either look out for ourselves, discover wisdom and exercise discernment, or we will get stripped clean by the sharps. By Tom Ehrich. About 700. With photo.