Friends, I participated in a ZOOM conference this week, in which I spoke for 45 minutes on the topic of “Politics and Christian Witness in a Secular Age.” Following the talk, I fielded questions for another 45 minutes. If you’re interested, the talk has been posted at my new YouTube channel. To access the video, [ Read More ]
These days, many Americans reject strong forms of religion. Christianity, in particular, is often embraced only in weak forms or as a mere tool for social and cultural transformation; the more muscular and biblical forms of Christianity are often ignored or rejected. Additionally, individuals are more attentive to images than to words and are addicted [ Read More ]
In any sphere of culture, leaders are trying to sell themselves and their views. In fact, the very reason these leaders often rise to the top is their ability to persuade people of the rightness of their views and decisions. Yet, often they are so charismatic, so persuasive, that we are easily duped by poor [ Read More ]
It’s an age-old question, made more relevant by the insistence of media outlets and political pundits: Should pastors directly address contemporary political issues? Some commentators argue that Christianity offers a moral framework that is directly relevant to policy issues and thus the pastor should speak to politics. At other times the argument is made that [ Read More ]
Recently, The Commonweal Project invited me to speak on “Christian Politics in a Secular Age” at their conference in Atlanta, GA. As it turned out, C-SPAN showed up to televise the talk and subsequent Q&A session. The televised talk is divided into roughly five segments: An introductory segment in which I draw upon sociologist Philip Rieff [ Read More ]
“Certainly these are sad times for American politics. But if we love our nation and our neighbors, this American sadness should only redouble our resolve. Our nation needs us. So let’s put our Christian faith to work.” Dear friend, In the midst of a rapidly changing cultural and political landscape, I believe it is imperative [ Read More ]
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas, everywhere we go, from the sight of inflatable reindeer on the neighbor’s lawn to the thought of Cousin Eddie in a dickey, drinking egg nog and talking politics at Christmas dinner. Every family has a Cousin Eddie and every family’s holiday gathering holds forth the possibility of [ Read More ]
For Christians who wish to be informed on matters of significance in the political arena but who are pressed for time, this article offers seven “go-to” sources for political news and opinion. The first five sources are secular outlets; I follow them to keep abreast of breaking news and a variety of perspectives on the [ Read More ]
What could a little Brit named “Lesslie” possibly teach American pastors about a Christian approach to American politics? Recently, Marty Duren interviewed me on his podcast, “Pastor Talk,” giving me the opportunity to outline some lessons we can learn from the life and work of British theologian Lesslie Newbigin. To access the podcast, click here.
Christian, I apologize that I haven’t been able to respond sooner. If you’ll believe it, there are actually times when we professors have to log some hours and do an honest day’s work. You know how grueling it is to crank out a 15-page paper the night before it’s due? Well, imagine having to read [ Read More ]