CNN, by Peter Bergen: Already a predictable tsunami of nonsense has washed over us about the “root causes” of terrorism. We have heard from Obama administration officials and even the President himself that terrorism has something to do with lack of opportunities and poverty. Obama said on Wednesday that “we have to address grievances terrorists exploit, including economic grievances.” He said, “when millions of people — especially youth — are impoverished and have no hope for the future, when corruption inflicts daily... Read more

The Apprentice Experience Dallas Willard and Richard Foster opened the door for more Christians to explore the deep teachings of Christian spirituality in the great traditions of the church. Many of us have walked through that door and are discovering new insights for spiritual formation. One of the more profound insights for me is an ecclesial, or church, shaping of spiritual formation. Which is to say, this is not just about me and you but about us. The We of... Read more

Chapter 11 of Iain Provan’s new book Seriously Dangerous Religion: What the Old Testament Really Says and Why It Matters turns to the question of Hope and God’s plan for the future. What kind of hope is expressed in the Old Testament?  This is an excellent chapter, sketching what Provan sees as the sweep of the Old Testament story. The Old Testament is a story of hope.  If we miss this thread, we miss everything. And too many have …... Read more

Jackson Wu: At the link you can read the full article and be introduced to Jackson Wu’s forthcoming book. As various scholars have observed, honor/shame (H/S) is “the pivotal cultural value” of the Bible.1 Figure 1 lists a variety of words in Scripture related to H/S. With just a glance, we see that H/S lies beneath the surface of countless biblical passages, relating directly to reputation, respect for authority, group identity, and the gospel itself. And yet the biblical presence and... Read more

Source: For the longest time, Lester Holt would finish the Sunday edition of NBC’s “Today” show at 9 a.m., just when services began at the Manhattan Church of Christ. When the elders moved the start time to 9:30, no one was happier than Holt. “I don’t know if it was a personal favor to me, but it really has helped,” a chuckling Holt told The Christian Chronicle in an interview at the “Today” studios. “For a long time, I’d get off at... Read more