Awakening to The Christian Social Imperative
August 14, 2017
Raising the consciousness of the Church for the social imperative didn’t happen overnight. Here are four books that have historically shaped social justice in the Church. ♦The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, by Carl F. H. Henry – Written in 1947, this is the classic pivotal book for Christian engagement with social issues. ♦I Have […]
Bibliography for the Christian Social Imperative
November 26, 2017
If you’ve been convicted, as I have, about Christian social responsibility, you need to get yourself informed. Here is a selected bibliography of books that I recommend. Many of these books were required/recommended reading at TEDS, many more are ones I’ve stumbled across in my search for the best voices on social issues, both secular […]
The Justice Conference 2017 – Report Out
June 11, 2017
I’ve been concerned about justice from the first time I whined as a child that something wasn’t fair. My parents told me the same thing that I told my kids: life often isn’t fair, and you need to learn to deal with it. Yet, regardless of what life has and hasn’t dealt me, I still […]
Who is Caesar? – The Justice Conference 2017
June 20, 2017
A dramatization of the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar caused consternation on the right for the similarity of the title character to Donald Trump. Never mind that Obama received his own share of “Caesar” interpretations. I found this all a little ironic on a day when I heard a speaker discuss a similar question at The […]
A Moderate View of Immigration
May 23, 2017
One of the advantages (if it can be called that) of having been raised by ultra-conservative parents is that interactions with my family of origin provide plenty of scope to hone my moderate, centrist views. My views on immigration were recently challenged by a sibling. This essay is the result. _________________________________________________________________________ It seems to me […]
LoveEveryoneAlways – Refugees and Immigrants Too?
February 13, 2017
Love refugees and immigrants everywhere, always? My church has been pushing the theme #loveeveryonealways lately. Does this apply to refugees and immigrants? Donald Trump and his followers say no, if doing so puts our security at risk. Are they right? Franklin Graham seems to think so, tweeting earlier this week, “God does tell us to help […]
Obscure Women of the Bible
May 9, 2017
Originals, Verse 1 I have stayed awake thinking of women who barely make the pages of the Bible. Whose contribution may well have been greater than masculine scribes historians and annalists were willing to let God inspire them to detail. -Thomas John Carlisle I discovered this wonderful poet, a Presbyterian minister, who published 2 volumes […]
Is Neil Gorsuch Worth the Cost?
August 5, 2017
One of the reasons Trump won the evangelical vote was his lip service to the pro-life cause. The consensus within evangelical circles is that their vote was vindicated by the appointment of Neil Gorsuch. Is Neil Gorsuch worth the cost? This begs two questions: 1) What is the worth of Gorsuch? and 2) What is […]
What Is Up with the Southern Poverty Law Center?
August 27, 2017
I’ve been seeing more and more criticism of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) from conservative Christian groups who believe they have been wrongly characterized as hate groups for their anti-LGBTQ position. D. James Kennedy Ministries recently filed a lawsuit against the SPLC for this reason. David French had a piece in the National Review […]
Hate Speech, Part One
May 25, 2017
Did you know that “hate speech” is not illegal? To the contrary, it is protected by the Free Speech clause of the First Amendment. The ABA defines “hate speech” as “speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits.” It may be offensive and […]