Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement do not reside in the past. King’s life and legacy live on in people’s hearts, imaginations, and just and loving actions today. As poet and performer Emmett Wheatfall reminds us here in “Miles to Go,” the race is not over. We have “miles to go before we sleep.” Other voices join in the refrain below. I have asked several friends and colleagues in various settings to share about the import... Read more

One might think Martin Luther King, Jr. would have viewed the universe as unfriendly. All one has to do is consider how much racial hatred he endured. And yet, King was convinced otherwise: “It is quite easy for me to think of the universe as basically friendly.” Why? He gives a few reasons: “Mainly because of my uplifting hereditary and environmental circumstances.” [1] This is not to say that King refused to acknowledge the extreme difficulties and opposition he and... Read more

By Paul Louis Metzger and Derrick Peterson Introduction In surfing, you hear talk of riding the wave. The same thing happens in politics, though figuratively. Whether in surfing or politics, those who time their ascent just right can build a great deal of momentum. Something similar happens in theology, including Trinitarian theology. This blog post entry, which is co-authored with my colleague Derrick Peterson, addresses three waves of Trinitarian theology as well as the ensuing descent bound up with particular... Read more

I don’t know how self-driving car technology ranks on a difficulty scale. Perhaps it’s not as difficult as rocket science, but it still must be very hard. Add to that the challenge of programming a self-driving car to make moral decisions. Take for example the MIT Media Lab experiment called “The Moral Machine,” which was “designed to test how we view…moral problems in light of the emergence of self-driving cars.” If a self-driving car were in a ‘moral bind’ in... Read more

President Trump has called for an immigration policy based on merit. What do you make of that language? What does it mean? What is its import? How does it mesh with America’s traditional values and ideals? Merit could mean several things to Mr. Trump. He claims that immigration based on merit means accepting only those people with good intentions. He also makes clear that immigration based on merit means accepting only those people with good or great IQs and desirable... Read more

A December 31st 2018 New York Times article titled “Why Trump Reigns as King Cyrus” has a tagline that reads “The Christian right doesn’t like the president only for his judges. They like his style.” I was especially struck by the following lines in the article: This isn’t the religious right we thought we knew. The Christian nationalist movement today is authoritarian, paranoid and patriarchal at its core. They aren’t fighting a culture war. They’re making a direct attack on... Read more

As is well-documented, many people dread the holiday season. The close of one year and the beginning of another is supposed to be a time of great joy, but it can often be the occasion for isolation with accompanying sadness, even severe depression. Such depression can spill over into the new year. In reflecting on this subject, I came across some articles that chronicled Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s severe struggles with depression. In the midst of his various struggles,... Read more

What did Jesus’ mother do with Jesus three days after he was born? That would have been December 28th, if Jesus had been born on December 25th. According to one ancient source, Jesus’ mother took Jesus out of the cave where he was born and placed him in a stable where animals like oxen and donkeys resided. Maybe it was an ancient version of a petting zoo. Now, let’s pause for a moment. Is that account of farm animals being... Read more

Who pays or suffers most for the government shutdown based on the wall erected between the White House and Congress? Based on one of his tweets, it would appear President Trump believes he is suffering for the shutdown. He tweeted “poor me” as he stayed at the White House in Washington on Christmas rather than depart for his luxurious Florida estate: “I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make... Read more

We live in an instant gratification culture in which we often ask, “What have you done for me lately?” This same instant gratification perspective can influence our approach to God and Jesus whereby we ask, “What have you done for me lately Jesus?” Similar to someone opening presents ecstatically on Christmas morning and forgetting or discounting the next day the gifts they received, so it is when we behold God’s gift of the newborn Jesus. Instant gratification spirituality would tempt... Read more