At its best, America is about more than innovation and ambition. Its promise of exceptionalism is rooted in its generosity — to welcome the stranger, to believe all are created equal, or, as the Book of Matthew puts it: to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and to care for the least among us.

The biblical call to our higher angels, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, has faced challenges in recent years, as public life has grown more fractured, isolated and even nihilistic. For whatever reason, the ethic of noblesse oblige — the understanding that to whom much is given, much is required — has faded from view, or importance. At a time when many feel pulled to focus inward, we are called to remember and renew the generosity of spirit that has always been one of our most powerful na

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