In recent years, both Republicans and Democrats have experienced a surge of populism—the uprising of ordinary citizens against powerful “elites” who they view as overbearing, self-serving, and out of touch—within their political parties. For that reason, Christianity Today recently asked me if I would create a list of five helpful resources for understanding today’s American [ Read More ]
Troubling times, these. Indeed, and one of the most troubling factors is the tendency to view strong forms of religion as inherently intolerant. Consider, for example, a recent Wikileak email dump that showed elected officials and politicos referring to conservative Christians with various derogatory terms such as “backwards” and “bastardized.” Or, consider Peaceful Coexistence, a [ Read More ]
Beginning in January 2019, my employer granted me a one-year research sabbatical. This has meant that I have spent very little time reading the news or writing opinion pieces. It has also meant that I have spent very little time on Twitter, that social media outlet which is very good for a few limited tasks [ Read More ]
During upcoming weeks and months, conservatives have an opportunity to do the right thing by enacting restitution-based immigration reform legislation that will secure our borders, deport dangerous immigrants, allow temporary documentation for immigrants willing to pay significant fine, and protect innocent Dreamers. We should act now because it is the right thing to do, it is [ Read More ]
On Sunday, hip hop artist Kanye West will take the stage at Lakewood Church, Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Houston, TX. Sources report that he will take the stage together with Osteen Sunday morning and will perform with his traveling choir on Sunday evening. Kanye is arguably the most significant hip hop artist of our day [ 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 ]
The Christian ethic is a principled ethic, meaning that it views the ethical life as one that conforms to moral principles embedded in the world around us and revealed in the Bible. For that reason, Christianity’s influence on the West caused most Western ethicists and, arguably, most Westerners to assent to a principled ethic (even though no [ Read More ]
Democratic presidential candidates have spent the last few months introducing a rucksack of new policy proposals, some of which, if implemented, would be incredibly harmful. One of those proposals came from former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who argued that religious institutions must be stripped of their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage. This is, sadly, not the [ Read More ]
As an American Christian, it’s clear to me that I’m living in an increasingly secular nation. And by secular, I don’t mean most Americans are atheist or agnostic. Nor do I mean most Americans are hesitant to bring their religion into public discussions. Instead, following philosopher Charles Taylor, I mean Christianity has been displaced from the [ Read More ]
Socialism is a highly-energized and mobilized political movement—especially among Millennials—in the United States right now. The 2016 presidential primaries saw a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, Bernie Sanders, almost defeat establishment candidate Hillary Clinton. The 2018 mid-term elections saw a 28-year-old democratic socialist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, defeat incumbent House democrat Joseph Crowley. The 2020 elections are being influenced [ Read More ]