News
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Should Dutch Christians Call God Allah? News from Religion in a Post-Christian World
If you have not heard about this little event in the Dutch town of Breda, read about it here:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557468267&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Now the easiest answer to this is simply to call this man a fool, a tool of pluralism, and dismiss what he is doing. Trust me, that is very tempting. But there are deeper theological, linguistic, cultural, and apologetic issues at play, ones that I doubt our dear Bishop Muskens has not really thought about.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Some Thoughts on Immigration Rally – Denver, CO May 1, 2006
Sorry that this took a few days to post, but sometimes our priorities are not set by us. I continue to think a lot about this immigration issue. There are people I deeply like and respect who are on opposite sides of this, and not because they are racists (Laura Ingraham is funny and smart, and not a racist) or greedy (one friend is a recent immigrant and thinks the current policies just stink). Did Monday’s marches make any difference to my thinking?
I happened to get to witness some of the Denver March for Immigrants on May 1. This was one of the larger and more successful of the marches around the country. So much of this discussion is oriented towards the politics, but before I get there, I want to mention a few observations:
1) Calling it a “Day without Immigrants” is not a good idea. In lower downtown Denver (LoDo to those in the know), I saw a large number of immigrants working – Italians, Hispanics, Asian. It was clear from the looks on their faces, they didn’t like the fact that their contributions don’t matter to anyone, and yet there they are, first or 2nd generation immigrants working their tails off.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Tom Tancredo - In the lead for Stupidest thing said this year?
In case you didn’ hear, one of our Colorado Congressmen, Tom Tancredo (R) implied, in a “hypotetical scenario” that maybe we should have plans to bomb Mecca should a U.S. city be nuked. No, really…
I didn’t get clued into this today until I checked Hugh Hewitt’s website and found out what Rep. Tancredo said. Beyond dumb. Just plain stupidly silly. Tom, here are a few major things to consider:
1) Mecca is a holy site to Muslims in a way that no Christian city can be or should be. The closest connection is the orthodox Jewish appoach to Jerusalem and the land of Palestine. But that is a tiny minority within worldwide Judaism. The Haj to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Isalm to all of the world’s 1 Billion Muslims.
2) The United States military includes thousands of Muslims soldiers. Are you seriously suggesting they should be ordered to bomb one of their two most holy sites?
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Hit the Civil War Battle Fields
I am not a big fan of Marvin Olasky in general. I have had more than a few exchanges with his magazine, Word Magazine, over it coverag of the gender neutral Bible translation put out by The International Bible Society (buy a TNIV and see if Jesus is still a man and he is the Saviour - he is). But I like to give kudos where they belong:
As you may or many not know, I am a huge Civl War buff. I have read almost as much on the period from 1860 to 1865 as I have theology (which is saying something). Unfortunately I have never actually been to a battlefield. I get asked from time to time to recommend a site for people going on vacation. I can tell them what I have read, but here is a great little article from someone who has been there and knows. Read Marvin Olasky’s article on Townhall and follow his recommendations!
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/marvinolasky/mo20050623.shtml
Shelby Foote recommends that you visit the battlefields at the time of year when the battle happened. That way you get a feel for the weather, the foliage, the lenght of day, etc. Do that for these sites, and you will have a thrill of a lifetime!
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Republican Strategies for 2006
Hugh Hewitt’s Essay contest includes another question: What should the GOP do in 2006? While I am not a partisan Republican, I do have my own suggestions.
I am a Christian first foremost and always. Having said that I do vote in American elections, and, if you have followed this website for anytime, you know that I advocated for Bush in 04.
What I desire to see is the GOP become a party that stands for life in all areas-not just on abortion and stem cells. So my suggestions are rooted not just in popular politics, which I believe these suggestions will help sway and elect Republicans, but also in the desire to address issues that orthodox Christians should be concerend about:
1) The depriving of the right to a good education to the poor trapped in America’s worst public schools.
2) A generous immigration party that helps people avoid becoming criminals and being exploited by those who care more for greed than humane treatment of all of God’s image bearers and
3) Upholding marriage as an institution that celebrates the family, not personal fulfillment (whatever that means) first and foremost.
Who are the Religious Right?
Hugh Hewitt is running an essay contest. The first of his two questions is one that I think must be answered so the new cycle can gain more clarity-- Who are the Religious Right?
The term “Religious Right” gets used a lot in the media. Just in the articles since Sunday news.google.com returned 167 seperate hits that included that phrase. Using the phrase is easy. Telling others what it really means? Now that is hard.
Does it include me? I am pro-life, against homosexual marriage, a registered Republican, but also hold two graduate degrees and am close to completely a doctorate (granted in theology). I am also a vegetarian, environmentally conscious, and a devotee of popular culture. So, am I part of the Religious Right???
Thursday, October 14, 2004
On Lesbian Daughters - The Gospel’s Good News for Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons
After the hubbub over the Mary Cheney comment in the 3rd 2004 Presidential Debate, I was forced to ask, as a Christian, how do we share the good news of Jesus without telling people to be like us up front?
I, like many of you, was surprised that Kerry brought up Mary Cheney last night. Now let’s be clear, just about everyone knew Ms. Cheney is a lesbian. Her sexual preference is not news. The question is, what does her sexuality have to do with the candidacy?
