Advent is a microcosm of the human condition, as understood through a Christian lens. God is with us. And the fullness of redemption in God is yet to come. The sacred paradox reveals both are true. Mary’s immaculate conception, like Advent itself, is a now and a not yet.
The rise of populism in international politics threatens the democratic norms of society. How should Christians respond?
In this interview with Lexi Schnaser, Amar Peterman discusses the Center for Empathy in Christian and Public Life and the importance of empathy, intellectual humility, and hospitality in public life.
In this article, Luke Joyce reviews Call for Justice: From Practice to Theory and Back, a new book that includes an exchange of letters between Kurt Ver Beek, Co-Founder of the Association for a More Just Society (which uses its Spanish initials ASJ), and Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff.
"While the Constitution offers us freedom to speak as we choose, it never guarantees us freedom from the consequences of our words, especially when our words infringe upon the rights of others. Perhaps Tim Smith, a former Kent State University media law professor, said it best when he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “‘Not even the staunchest of First Amendment advocates would say that you can say anything you want, anywhere and anytime … You've got to balance rights and responsibilities.’”
“Margaret Thatcher, the ‘Iron Lady’ of British politics, who set her country on a rightward economic course, led it to victory in the Falklands war and helped guide the United States and the Soviet Union through the cold war’s difficult last years, died on Monday in London. She was 87.” (The New York Times)
Did you know that the first woman elected to federal government was elected in 1917? It has not even been a hundred years since that ground-breaking election. Yet, perhaps more surprising for United States readers, in the past century, countries like Israel, India, England, Germany, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Norway, Pakistan, Bangladesh, France, Poland, Canada, Turkey, all have surpassed the United States practices by electing or confirming female heads of governments.
So what will Melissa Rogers’ appointment mean for faith-based organizations? How will her leadership impact important organizations like World Vision, the International Justice Mission and Catholic Charities? To figure that out, the often-misunderstood White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (formerly the Office of Faith Based Initiatives) needs to be clearly defined.
The selection of a new pope, Francis I, has focused the world on the struggles and splendor of one its greatest institutions. It is not necessary to be a Catholic to appreciate the history and importance of a church with roots in the ancient history and adherents across the planet. The health of the Catholic Church is inseparable from the health of global Christianity.
If we are to make a serious attempt to do justice to those among us who choose to use marijuana, by far the most widely used illegal drug in America, we must make an earnest effort to understand the public consequences of choices – and not only the choices of marijuana users, but those made by government officials, which we as citizens tacitly approve through continual support for official government policy.
It is true- we all live and share in this time of great transition and as Steven Garber, author of The Fabric of Faithfulness asked, “How will your life be different knowing what you know now?” and “What will you do with what you know?” For me, these questions are at the foundation of what my generation should consider applying to all areas of life.
As Superstorm Sandy demonstrated, putting off climate action comes at a steep cost—and one that the government may not always be willing to pay. But we all need to play our part to build the momentum that will turn the tide on our current climate crisis. In the meantime, the Church can and should play an active role in leading the charge for climate action, and in helping communities prepare for and recover from the inevitable impacts of worsening extreme weather.
Over the years the meaning of tolerance has shifted significantly. D.A. Carson notes this change well in his book, The Intolerance of Tolerance. This change has had a dramatic effect on our cultures’ approach to discrimination and diversity. Specifically, we have moved from a people that used to value truth to a people that value approval.
I would caution against an unequivocal, unflinching reliance on rhetoric as the driving force behind political action. Particularly in our world of 24-hour news, a ravenous press, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, and the oft-forgotten carrier pigeons, the meaning of words has diminished. The action itself is what matters and that is often unseen and unheard.
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