Listen to this piece. Today is Maundy (Holy) Thursday on the Christian calendar.  On this day, Christians remember the Lord Jesus’ last supper with his followers and his institution of the Lord’s Supper before he enters into his passion. Holy and/or unholy passions are flaring today in our society over the debate in the Supreme Court over same sex marriage. Regardless of the outcome of the case(s), I have been intrigued by how many of my Christian brothers and sisters... Read more

Listen to this piece. This is not a post on what the Bible says about homosexuality, but about some of the questions I believe Evangelical Christians should consider when thinking about the Supreme Court’s decisions on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act this week. What kinds of ethical stances should we as Evangelicals seek to implement as laws of the land in our democratic society? I would assume most Evangelical Christians support adherence to speed limits in school... Read more

Listen to this piece. Some Republican leaders like Jeb Bush have called for the legalization of undocumented immigrants without a pathway to citizenship. Other Republicans who actually oppose immigration reform leading to legalization argue that legalization without a pathway to citizenship would go against American values. One such representative of anti-immigration reform remarked that the legalization of undocumented immigrants without a path to citizenship would lead to a Jim Crow system of two tiers of Americans—those who have citizenship and... Read more

American Evangelicals place a great deal of emphasis on protecting the nuclear family. One would think Evangelicals would also concern themselves with keeping families together in America, where one of the spouses is not here legally. While not all Evangelicals make this connection, many  do. I appreciate the Evangelical Immigration Table’s emphasis on “protecting the unity of the immediate family” and its call for a bi-partisan solution to the situation of immigration reform that “establishes a path toward legal status... Read more

Listen to this piece. My wife, Mariko, has shared beautifully about the rainbow of love of her multi-ethnic experience. My rainbow of love experience is a bit different, and it breaks on through or rather past Jimmy Fallon’s impersonation of Jim Morrison of The Doors singing “Reading Rainbow.” The only books Morrison ever inspired me to read were those by the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche, Aldous Huxley, and Arthur Rimbaud. I grew up in a strong Christian home and received... Read more

I was blessed to read that the new pope, Pope Francis, asked the people to pray for him before he blessed them. He also refused to be elevated above the cardinals on a platform. Not only that, when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, he determined not to live in the archbishop’s palace, but in an apartment, and passed on taking a chauffeured limousine to work in favor of the bus. Known for his simplicity and for being a voice... Read more

Listen to this piece. Did you know I have been living here illegally for some time? In fact, you may be here illegally, too, and you might not even know it. If First Nations people had borders in place like we do today, we would not be having this conversation! Good thing for those of you like me, a US citizen, who does not happen to be an indigenous person. Some of you may say that the First Nations people... Read more

Listen to this piece. Richard John Neuhaus wrote about the naked public square and the hostility toward traditional values and religion. He feared the death of democracy resulting from such hostility and called for a public philosophy that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian religious heritage. While the Judeo-Christian religious heritage has certainly shaped our democratic society, we live increasingly in a multi-faith world here in the States. I believe we need to make sure that we who represent Judeo-Christian values enter... Read more

Listen to this piece. Today is my birthday. As I look back upon my many years of life and look forward toward the future, I wish and hope that I will pursue life more fully with an open hand, not a clenched fist. So often, I find people, myself included, trying to clutch onto life to squeeze and suck as much juice out of the turnip of existence before it is all gone. As a result, we often if not... Read more

Listen to this piece. This essay is more academic in tone than my usual blog posts. I trust my readers will find it an intriguing departure (UPDATE on 3/8/13: The form of Christian Zionism that I am defining and reflecting upon in this article is of the Dispensationalist variety. I recognize that while it is widespread, it is not the only form of Christian Zionism). Is Christian Zionism biblical? I suppose it all depends on what you mean by biblical. Based... Read more