Deliver Us From Evil

Last updated on: September 24, 2013 at 11:07 pm By Amy Reynolds

There have been a number of tragedies recently in our world. In Nairobi, Kenya recent attacks at the upscale Westgate mall by terrorist group Al-Shabaab injured close to 200 people and 67 were reported murdered. In Peshawar, Pakistan, at least 60 Christians were killed outside a church by suicide bombers this past Sunday. In Washington, D.C., a U.S. citizen and former navy reservist murdered twelve people at the Navy Yard. The United States is considering military actions towards Syria after... Read more

Science and the Questioning of Our Biases

Last updated on: September 22, 2013 at 3:11 pm By George Yancey

You never know when an article will catch your attention. I ran across this article concerning how individuals will not change their mind even when facing information that directly contradicts their argument. Our presuppositions are so strong that even when we receive evidence that they are wrong, we hold onto those assumptions. This tendency has been called confirmation bias and it is a part of our human nature. Understanding this bias is important to fully understand how science works. Confirmation... Read more

The Non-Private Society

Last updated on: September 1, 2013 at 4:34 pm By George Yancey

The NSA spying story highlights an interesting changing aspect of our society. Right now I have no interest in debating the role of information gathering except to note how this controversy illustrates the loss of privacy in our society. Over time technology and social factors have operated to erode the level of privacy we enjoy. Even if we are able to rein in the NSA, it is unrealistic to believe that our privacy will not continue to be eroded. The... Read more

The March on Washington remembered

Last updated on: August 28, 2013 at 12:59 pm By Jerry Park

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington from which we gain many of our most iconic images of that era and the Civil Rights Movement. Thousands have arrived in DC today to remember that moment. Here is a youtube clip of Martin Luther King’s speech: And here’s a link to catch current coverage (as of 2pm EST): nbcnews coverage President Obama will give a speech approximately at 2:45pm. It might be interesting to compare and contrast King... Read more

Does Where You Meet Matter?

Last updated on: August 26, 2013 at 1:54 pm By Mark Regnerus

Online dating is here to stay. That much is clear. But is meeting someone online the most promising way to meet a mate? Just how well do relationships started online fare? Researchers at the new Austin Institute for the Study of Family & Culture, where I’m a senior fellow, analyzed nationally-representative data from the 2011 “How Couples Meet and Stay Together” (HCMST) survey that addressed those questions. In a research short you can read in its entirety here, they conclude–mirroring much of... Read more

Trying for a Boy?

Last updated on: August 20, 2013 at 4:21 pm By Amy Reynolds

When people find out my husband and I have three girls, they offer a variety of responses. Most of these are not positive and uplifting. Three girls. I bet you’re still trying for a boy. Poor Dad. You’re really outnumbered, huh? They must have their daddy wrapped around their fingers. Usually these comments are from people I do not know well, making the decisions about how to respond all the more difficult for me. I understand that many times people... Read more

Blame the Bus Driver!!!

Last updated on: August 17, 2013 at 7:50 pm By George Yancey

One of the big stories over the last few weeks has been a video of the terrible beating a white kid received at the hands of three black thugs. There are several different aspects of this event worth exploring but I want to discuss the grief that the bus driver is taking. It is easy to blame someone for how he acted in a given situation when you yourself have not been in that situation. I know because watching that... Read more

Robert Bellah Memorial at the American Sociological Association

Last updated on: August 7, 2013 at 12:00 pm By Margarita A. Mooney

Robert Bellah, the famous sociologist of religion who passed away last week, received a thoughtful obituary today in the New York Times. He also be remembered at this year’s annual meetings of the American Sociological Association on Saturday, August 10, 2013, at 7 pm. The event is being organized by Jeffrey Alexander of Yale’s Department of Sociology. It will be held in the Regent Room on the 2nd floor of the Hilton New York Midtown. Read more

Theology, Silence, and Action

Last updated on: August 6, 2013 at 9:44 am By Amy Reynolds

I recently returned from a two-week seminar in Brazil with the Nagel Institute and Calvin College, where I spent time in Rio, Brasilia, and Manaus (Amazon) with a number of Brazilian scholars, as well as Christian college professors from the USA. Given this opportunity, I hope to be able to spend some time in future blogs sharing some of this experience. As in the United States, evangelicals can be found supporting a number of political causes across the spectrum. We... Read more