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‘Of Those to Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required’: Is This What’s Missing in America?

Past generations created a civilization of wealth and a country never seen on the world’s stage, yet many people show little appreciation in return.
‘Of Those to Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Required’: Is This What’s Missing in America?
(L–R) The U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial viewed from the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial memorial park in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 9, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Jeff Minick
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Commentary
Just days before his inauguration as president, John F. Kennedy delivered his “city upon a hill” speech, which included a line taken from Luke 12:48: “For of those to whom much is given, much is required.” Since then, many other leaders have employed this precept to inspire others, sometimes softening that word “required” to “expected.”
Jeff Minick
Jeff Minick
Author
Jeff Minick has four children and a growing platoon of grandchildren. For 20 years, he taught history, literature, and Latin to seminars of homeschooling students in Asheville, N.C. He is the author of two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust on Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning as I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” Today, he lives and writes in Front Royal, Va.