Category Archives: Politics

Christian Politics

We’re in a season where American Christians are thinking about politics. Well, maybe not. Maybe it’s truer to say we’re in a season where the politics of the current American polarizations have colonized Christian minds. Candidates and their flunkies are assuring … Continue reading

Posted in Bible, Church & State, Clash of Civilizations, Culture, Current events, Ecclesiology, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free Community College!

Why is there such a thing as COST? Why isn’t everything just free? Cost is a way of showing the relative value of things. When we see that one thing costs more than another, we can take it as an … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Higher Education, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Liberal” and “Conservative”

We use these words, “liberal” and “conservative” quite a bit and in multiple contexts. From where I stand, I see them used most frequently in theological and political contexts. They are not as helpful as we think, since we often … Continue reading

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Immune Systems, Individual and Social

I listened to Russ Robert’s interview with Moises Valsquez-Manoff (on Econtalk) yesterday on my drive to pick up my daughter. The conversation was about recent studies showing the role increased hygiene plays in the rise of allergies and auto-immune diseases. … Continue reading

Posted in Al Qaeda, Clash of Civilizations, Politics, Robert Putnam, Samuel Huntington, Social Capital, United Methodism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

In or Out?

Living organisms and organizations have boundaries. There is always some sort of line demarcating X from not-X. Some of these markers are positive, some negative. This is an unpopular reality for some. We shout “No boundaries!” as if everything flowed … Continue reading

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Praying for Egypt

Is your heart broken for Egypt yet? After a generation of authoritarian misrule the Arab Spring gave so many hope for a better future. Not able to agree on what that “better future” looked like – a return to the … Continue reading

Posted in Current events, Islam, Politics, Prayer | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Maintaining Your Constituency?

What would we think of doctors who work to keep people sick so that the doctors’ services are required? What would we think of auto mechanics who sabotaged vehicles to ensure more business? What would we think of politicians who … Continue reading

Posted in Immigration, Ministry, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What About MOOCs?

Academia is being shaken to its foundations. There’s the funding crisis: College costs have outpaced inflation for a generation now, and the states and the feds are beginning to grumble. Right next door is the debt crisis: students are graduating … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Current events, Diversity, Education, Higher Education, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Which One?

I’ve seen various claims that we need to “Put God back in the Whitehouse.” The context of these claims indicates a few assumptions: God is not now in the Whitehouse. Whether or not God is in the Whitehouse is within … Continue reading

Posted in Current events, Elections, Politics | Leave a comment

Political Unconvictions

Unlike many I encounter, I seem to have at least as many political unconvictions as I have convictions. Here are some of my current unconvictions: I am unconvinced that people who disagree with me are stupid and/or evil. Sure, they’re … Continue reading

Posted in Politics | 1 Comment