I like bunnies, but I prefer lions and lambs at Easter. After all, the Bible does not make use of rabbits in reference to the resurrected Christ, but rather lions and lambs, as in the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and Lamb of God. Revelation 5:5-7 reads, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four... Read more
What do religious people do when they have questions about science? Many of them ask their pastors, according to a recent study.[1] Pastors have so many important responsibilities, as well as skills and experience in spiritual care. But how many of them have training in the sciences, or invest time and resources in gaining a better grasp of scientific findings? This is not a question that should be put off based on the tyranny of the urgent. After all, according... Read more
Why are we often in such a hurry? As the old saying goes, “Where’s the fire?” Is the fire really a fear of losing time—or our lives? In reflecting upon time and technological means to speed us along in space, Karl Barth writes, If only one could say why all these people rushing by so quickly are in such a hurry, why it is that they are so terribly pressed, as may be seen very forcibly today on every street!... Read more
What does it mean to be a Christian innovator in the 21st century? Attend the Imagine 2016 to find answers to this question. I was asked to write about the conference and received permission to interview one of the conference hosts, Uday Balasundaram, Ph.D. I decided to ask Uday about the ethic and import of disruption as a facet of innovative leadership. Why disruption? Disruption is a key term today in politics and business. For example, many view Donald Trump... Read more
Do you know the story of Malala? She is an eighteen year old Pakistani teenager, who was shot in the head in 2012 by the Taliban in Pakistan for demanding that girls be permitted to receive an education. She is the youngest ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and she works tirelessly for girls around the world to receive a minimum of twelve years of quality education. You can find out more about Malala by watching the world broadcast... Read more
A White friend of mine from Oregon met with African American civil rights leader Tom Skinner years ago in Washington, D.C. During their conversation, Mr. Skinner asserted that my friend was a racist. His response, “Tom, how can I be a racist? I don’t even know any Black people!” As he recalls it now, my friend chuckles. He realizes how foolish his response sounded: just because we who are White might not know any Black people or have not consciously... Read more
***Warning Possible Spoilers Ahead for the Movie Eddy the Eagle*** There are so many things that can make one want to give up or just try to get by. Some will even succeed without ever really trying or giving it their best because of a fear of failure. But then there are those who will overcome huge obstacles and disappointments and give it their all; even if they don’t win gold at the Olympics, they triumph because they leave everything... Read more
According to Vocabulary.com, “To trump is to outrank or defeat someone or something, often in a highly public way.” Who trumped God this past week—Donald Trump or Pope Francis? Both public figures made public pronouncements on faith. When asked about Trump’s call to have Mexico build a wall between its borders with the U.S., Pope Francis claimed that someone fixated with building walls rather than bridges is not Christian. Trump shot back that the Pope has no right to question... Read more
Many people find tensions among Christian groups exhausting. No doubt, some were able to take a breath when they read David Gushee’s article on conservative and progressive evangelicals. While Gushee laments the division, he suggests that the two groups go their separate ways: Conservative and progressive evangelicals need to let each other go their separate ways, acknowledging that despite shared faith in Christ we have become two separate religious communities. Our fighting is doing no one any good at all. (See... Read more
Can we transfer consciousness to synthetic bodies without the move proving problematic, even catastrophic? The move would be made easier if we are ghosts in fleshly machines who are not vitally connected to our bodies, and who can fly about freely in cyberspace. But are we ghosts in fleshly machines? For those like myself who think we are embodied beings rather than ghosts in fleshly machines, we may fear the loss of our point of reference as humans, if we... Read more
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