Philanthropy

'Tis the season for giving. Yet, as Peter Drucker knew so well, the rewards from such actions flow two ways -- not just to those in need, but to those who get a lift from making a difference in an all-too-troubled world.

That is why on Christmas day I went over to a church not far from my house to help dish up dinner for the hungry and homeless. Dozens of volunteers from my synagogue and elsewhere passed out about 1,000… more

More than two years ago, after the first privately funded manned rocket soared into space to claim a $10 million prize, the man behind the contest brimmed with jubilation, a profound sense of relief and visions of the next frontier to conquer.

"I’m going to the stars," he said at the time.

But, in fact, Peter Diamandis has moved on to something that, in many respects, is even more momentous. He has brought the concept of spurring "revolution through competition," as… more

They seemed so young. That’s what Peter Hero remembers most about the day, nine years ago, when Pierre Omidyar and Jeff Skoll walked into his office at Community Foundation Silicon Valley with an odd idea to give away a fortune. Omidyar wore jeans and a T-shirt; his thick black hair was tied back in a ponytail. Skoll had on what looked to Hero like a varsity jacket. He couldn’t still be in high school, could he? Hero thought they were… more

Ben Goldhirsh is zipped into his wetsuit, at the wheel of a cluttered old Ford. He pulls into the parking lot at Topanga Beach, kills the ignition and checks the surf. "Do you know Biggie’s 10 Crack Commandments?" he asks. (That’s the Notorious B.I.G.) "Interestingly enough, a lot of the life lessons my dad tried to pass on to me bear a striking similarity to Biggie’s 10 Crack Commandments." He laughs, a little uncomfortably. "Rule No. 1 is never let… more

On Sunday, Billy and Franklin Graham preached to about 33,000 people at Baltimore's Camden Yards. In the audience were the converted, the unconverted and the curious. Oh, and I was there, too.

It was a display of theological power, that's for sure. But it was a display, too, of organizational and financial power and, potentially, political power. And it's the relationship to political power, around the world -- sometimes friendly, sometimes edgy -- that makes the Grahams' story… more

Three new phenomena in the media illustrate the oldest wisdom in show business -- there's nothing new under the sun.

Oh wait, that's from the Bible. But of course, the Bible, one of the oldest books in existence, is a never-ending source of artistic and commercial inspiration.

All of which reminds us that, if something worked in the past to enlighten or entertain, it will likely work again. And, if it didn't work in the past, watch out. Technology changes, but… more

What words does one use to describe the story of a Christian lesbian Air Force pilot-turned-journalist-turned-Katrina-relief-activist -- a story with a distinctly faith-based "thousand points of light"-y voluntaristic orientation? Two words leap to mind: "Cholene Espinoza." I can say that after reading her fascinating and thought-provoking memoir, Through the Eye of the Storm: A Book Dedicated to Rebuilding What Katrina Washed Away

Espinoza grew up in New Mexico and graduated from the US Air Force… more

After three long years of war in Iraq, a growing number of Americans are deciding that the U.S. should turn its attention inward. An October poll found that since 2002 the percentage of Americans who think that the nation "should mind its own business internationally" has risen from 30% to 42%. Likewise, trade protectionism and nativism are on the rise. Is the United States destined to enter a period of isolationism? Probably not. That's because evangelical Christians, who make up… more

How much money should the grieving families of the Washington area sniper victims receive? Is $5,000 enough? How about $50,000? Or how about nothing at all?

In the aftermath of the shootings, a local nonprofit organization appealed for donations to help families victimized by the attacks. After several weeks, the group had raised $50,000 -- to the dismay of its spokeswoman, who observed that "$50,000 divided among 13 families isn't a lot of money." In fact, it is only a… more

Who should pay for misconduct in a charity? That is the question that the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston faces as it continues to reel under the ever-darkening cloud of sexual misconduct by a significant number of its priests.

After the recent conviction of the archdiocese's most notorious pedophile, John Geoghan, the archdiocese settled the legal claims of a first group of his victims for an estimated $30-million. More priests have been named and more lawsuits are coming. By the time… more