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Challenging listening by amazing Christian leaders
When I say the word “justice” I found in the past that move evangelicals hearing it would by default put the word “social” in front of it. Justice does indeed have a social aspect.
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The sound of grief
There is a podcast I listen to on a fairly regular basis called “Pass the Mic.” It’s two younger black Christians, one working on his PhD in history and the other a pastor of a church, who reflect on theology and the issues around Black Christians in American society.
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Consistent Life Ethic
If there is something I’ve tried to work on over the years, it would be a philosophy of a “whole life ethic.” It turns out there is a framework for that called “Consistent Life Ethic.” It is truly my life goal to say, “No one is more ‘pro-life’ than me outside of the pope.”
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Pushing labels, rejecting labels
We have tendencies to get people “slotted” into our categories so we decide quickly if they are “in” or “out” to us.
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Confronting our misconceptions about “the poor”
We may have heard these generalizations about the poor, or held them ourselves. (Or, still hold them.) — They are lazy and uneducated.— They chose to be poor. They could pick themselves up by their bootstraps and get out of it if they really wanted. — The poor are the government’s responsibility. — It’s their own fault they are poor.
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Being truly “evangelical”
“Evangelical” in American cultural usage right now is a term that is full of landmines. Michael Gerson, an evangelical writer, is a voice that calls out the challenges often. In a current column with the Washington Post, he reminds readers of what true evangelicals used to be like:
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The Coddling of the American Mind: Is there any HOPE?
The picture painted in The Coddling of the American Mind is harsh. We’ve truly had a lot go wrong and we’ve put a lot of fear and anxiety into our lives, and much of it that is unnecessary. Is there any hope? They give some ideas, thankfully. First, start with childhood. Colleges definitely need work (and these two university professors…
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Freedom to play helps democracy
The term a few years ago was “helicopter parenting.” I’m not sure if there is a new phrase. There has to be in some cases, because it can be witnessed that parents are a LOT closer to their kids and their activities than a helicopter.
Category: Culture
