The conversation took an unexpected though welcome turn, like all really good dialogues: you never quite know where they will go. I had gone to Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan to interview Prof. Seung Chul Kim (Dr. Theol.). He is the Director of the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture, and Professor, Faculty of Arts & Letters, at Nanzan University. I asked Prof. Kim why he has dedicated so much of his energies to incorporating science into religious studies. Among various endeavors, he... Read more

There is nothing like bathing in nature for one’s health. The July 25th 2016 issue of TIME Magazine documented how the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (translated literally as forest bathing) could do wonders for one’s body: Japan’s Forest Agency encouraged the practice of forest bathing or investing time in nature in Japan back in the 1980s; since then, scientific studies have been confirming its merits for human well-being.[1] This should not come as too much of a surprise. After all,... Read more

I have always been struck by Hamlet’s statement to his peer, Horatio, in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Prince Hamlet has to deal with the appearance of his deceased father’s apparition which he cannot explain away, nor the dead king’s claim that his own brother and his own wife, the queen, murdered him and usurped his throne. It is not only the characters in Shakespeare’s play that have to... Read more

Self-government–is it a myth? Who chose the Republican and Democratic Party candidates for the U.S. Presidential election? We the people? If so, then why are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton among the least liked candidates for the Presidency in American history? See for example this Wall Street Journal article. Is the problem us, our representative democracy, or something else? Perhaps a combination of all three. Today we celebrate the independence of our country, but are we still under the tyrannical grip of... Read more

I have been asked to contribute to the “Nontraditional Church: Trends for the Future” symposium at Patheos. One of the jumping-in points that Patheos offered for consideration is: “How might worship in a movie theater in the middle of town be beneficial to the future of the church?” A worship service in the middle of town, more specifically, an urban center, might be beneficial to the future of the church if the people are truly connected to the urban community.... Read more

By Paul Louis Metzger and John W. Morehead On Sunday, June 12, the news broke that there was another mass shooting in America, this time in Orlando, killing 49 people and injuring 53 in a gay nightclub. According to initial news reports, the gunman called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic terror group ISIS. President Obama made a statement to the media soon after the attack, calling it both an act of terror and an act of hate. The... Read more

  Lord, I pray that you would comfort and protect members of the LGBTQ community who are often targeted by violent acts of hatred. I also pray that you would protect innocent Muslims as well as refugees and immigrants who are often labeled as would-be terrorists. I pray that politicians and clergy as well as the media would be wise in their public pronouncements, and law enforcement and medical professionals would be diligent in their protection and care. Above all,... Read more