France’s Anti-Muslim Laws and National Identity

Last updated on: September 21, 2024 at 6:11 pm By John San Nicolas

In 2004, France passed a law that banned “conspicuous” religious attire in schools. This law came to be known as the “hijab ban.” The law reads as follows: In public elementary, middle and high schools, the wearing of signs or clothing which conspicuously manifest students’ religious affiliations is prohibited. Disciplinary procedures to implement this rule will be preceded by a discussion with the student. [1] The law included a few examples of what counted as “conspicuous” or not. The clothing... Read more

Poverty is Not Just Economic, It’s Spiritual

Last updated on: September 19, 2024 at 9:59 am By John San Nicolas

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In our naturalistic world, we tend to consider things in terms of their materiality. If we can’t see it, we won’t believe it. This naturalism pervades how we think about poverty. When we analyze poverty, we are quick to measure it in terms of materiality—or rather, in terms of material lack. In The Economics of Poverty: History, Measurement, and Policy, Australian economist Martin Ravallion makes an interesting remark. When people think about economics more generally, Ravallion writes, they think of it... Read more

What the Early Church Believed About Israel

Last updated on: September 1, 2024 at 4:25 pm By John San Nicolas

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On October 14, 2023, Israeli missiles struck the oldest church in Gaza. The Church of St. Porphyrius, built originally in 425AD, was sheltering hundreds of Palestinians seeking reprieve from Israel’s bombardments. At least sixteen Palestinians were killed by Israel in the strike. Photos of the disaster circulated online. And while American preachers were still mourning the Hamas attack on the Kibbutz on October 7, Palestinian Christians were raising their voices once again about the Palestinian predicament since 1918 (by historian... Read more

Sex, Politics, and Religion: An Introduction

Last updated on: August 27, 2024 at 6:44 am By John San Nicolas

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Sex and sexuality are some of the innermost aspects of human life. These things are deeply personal to us. And as personal as sex is to human beings, sex is also deeply pervasive throughout creation. Sex is, so to speak, the waterway through which life flows from itself. Politics is the ordering of human life. The questions of how far politics should delve into sex and sexuality are far from insignificant. What place government has on our bodies and desires... Read more

Deuteronomy 28: Palestine, The (Conditionally) Promised Land

Last updated on: August 15, 2024 at 11:57 pm By John San Nicolas

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In 2017, the State of Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an interesting remark while addressing Christians United for Israel (CUFI), an organization founded by John Hagee. CUFI is the largest pro-Israel organization in the US. It seeks to build a broad-based coalition amongst all pro-Israel Christians and Christian communities. To the Christians, Netanyahu said, When I say we have no greater friends than Christian supporters of Israel, I know you’ve always stood with us . . . You stand... Read more

Support for Israel Weaker Among Younger Evangelicals?

Last updated on: August 4, 2024 at 7:03 pm By John San Nicolas

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Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel led to the deaths of over 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Immediately after, Israel declared war on Gaza. The war has since killed over 39,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Back in March, UNICEF has said that Israel had killed over 13,000 children. These numbers, which obscure the lives and losses behind them, are conservative estimates. Academics Rasha Khatib, Martin McKee, and Salim Yusuf have recently argued that Palestinian deaths attributable to... Read more

The Prosperity Gospel and Weber’s Protestant Ethic

Last updated on: July 21, 2024 at 9:17 pm By John San Nicolas

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This column is dedicated to the intersection of faith and politics. And while this area of reflection has developed considerably in popular culture, what is often ignored is the importance of how faith relates to economics. The film American Gospel (2018) gave many American Christians an introduction into how important it is to think about how the Gospel relates to economics. This film documented what is known as the Prosperity Gospel as preached by the likes of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, and... Read more

A Sikh Prayer at the RNC Sparks Christian Outrage

Last updated on: July 18, 2024 at 3:26 pm By John San Nicolas

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The first freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights is the freedom of religion. The First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution protects citizens from government establishments of religion. The government cannot coerce people to follow certain religious ideals. It cannot privilege one religion or sect above others. The First Amendment also protects Americans’ right to freely exercise their religion. Contrary to what many antagonists of religion may say, religion is not a purely private matter. Americans can practice their religion... Read more

Can Christians Vote Their Values in a Two-Party System?

Last updated on: July 9, 2024 at 7:42 am By John San Nicolas

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2020 was the year that I awoke to the political world around me. It was a chaotic year for many, many Americans. This was the year I began to really ask myself, “How should Christianity relate to politics?” The Jericho March Prior to 2020, I was definitely interested in politics. Starting in 2016, I really began to think about race, culture, economics, and political power. But it wasn’t until 2020 that I found that there exists a very important link between... Read more

True or False: Boaz was Ruth's brother-in-law who married her.