[ The Politics of Shalom, Part 1 ] In this series of blog posts, I will seek to offer some foundational principles for how Christians can better engage in the political process. Many Christians are looking for another way to navigate our political landscape. The Religious Right has taught us that the only way to think politically is through electing presidents and legislators who will fight back against the rise of secular humanism in our society. They’ve convinced a vast... Read more
Listen to the podcast on your favorite app Or watch it on YouTube How do we reintegrate the Christian faith with how we watch movies? We can go to the movies to just be entertained or escape for a couple hours or we can seek to look closer and dig deeper. What do the stories and characters in today’s movies tell us about the human condition? How can art teach us things that we may not understand in any... Read more
As someone who seeks to help people discover their vocations, I’ve been asked this on more than one occasion: What’s the difference between a “Job” and a “Vocation?” We want more than a “job;” we want something bigger, something more meaningful, something that makes us want to get up in the morning. What makes our work a “vocation?” Here are some helpful contrasts: Job – The etymology of the word “job” is from the late 1500s, a “jobbe of worke”... Read more
Listen to the podcast on your favorite app Or watch it on YouTube In this podcast, we continue our discussion with Dr. John Fea. Professor of American History at Messiah University. He provides a historical framework for understanding the rise of the Religious Right and the political environment that led to evangelicals embracing Donald Trump in the 2016 election. We discuss the political playbook of the Religious Right that has limited the strategy to overturning Roe v Wade with... Read more
Listen to the podcast on your favorite app Or watch it on America’s History The idea that America was founded to be a Christian nation is a presumption that many evangelical Christians have. It is no wonder, since so many conservative preachers and teachers perpetuate the myth, including Robert Jeffress, Eric Metaxas, and David Barton. Dr. John Fea, Distinguished Professor of American History at Messiah University, wrote a detailed history book on the subject and provides insight and... Read more
How Nostalgia Warps Our Conception of Reality As I struggle through my middle-aged years, I reflect back nostalgically to a sweeter time when I had less cares and life was simpler. I think, If only life could always be like it was when I was seven years old! Or twelve, Or twenty-one. We have a tendency to think that somewhere in the past, things were perfect. With this presumption, we naturally think that we’ve somehow lost that perfection and our... Read more
The Seamless Life Now that I know what I know (about myself, this world, and God), what am I going to do with my life? According to Dr. Steven Garber, this is the essence of the word, “Vocation.” For decades, Steve has been thinking and writing on the deep things of vocation, on finding a vision for life, responding to the call of God, and how to live wisely so that our ordinary lives are filled with meaning and purpose.... Read more
When I run into friends and acquaintances, they will usually ask me, “How’ve you been?” My reply is often, “Busy,” or “You know, keeping my head above water,” or “Keeping all the plates spinning.” Why do I answer like this? Sure, it’s a way of saying that I am diligent in all my various duties, but more likely it is a way to proudly state that I am significant. I like to be busy and I like to brag that... Read more
The joy of knowing that God wants to be with you! Sure, God “loves” me… but… Does God LIKE me? So many of us Christians feel that God is angry with us, or disappointed in us, or even disgusted with us. We are grateful for Jesus Christ, who acts as some sort of go-between, a shield from a God who does not like us but has to “love” us because of the cross. In this podcast, Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw... Read more
Politics, Social Media, and Polarization. We can’t even agree during a pandemic! Brendan and Bob discuss how we can begin to overcome the venom in our discourse that we’ve learned from our contentious culture. Instead of mimicking what pundits on cable news do, dehumanizing their opponents, and giving in to fear and rage, we are to be what Jesus called the “peacemakers.” Brendan and Bob explore what the Scriptures have to say about this and consider strategies on how to... Read more
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