Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters—And How to Talk About It
Having heard Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith radio program a few times, I couldn’t resist buying the book when I saw it in the discount bin at Borders. The subtitle to the book, Why Religion Matters—And How to Talk About It, is an issue that’s [...]
I read in a recent piece by David Brooks that, “Over the past seven months, the number of people who say government is doing too many things better left to business has jumped from 40 percent to 48 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.” My first reaction was, “Remember last year when [...]
One of the sharpest social critics of 19th century European industrial capitalism was…Charles Dickens. Those who have read Karl Marx’s writings see the world that he is attacking; those who have read Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Bleak House, or A Christmas Carol will see that same world. However, we find the world described by Dickens, [...]
September 14, 2001 – Three days after terrorists hijacked two commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center Towers, felling them and killing nearly 3,000 people, the President of the United States made a visit to “Ground Zero.” He took a bullhorn in his hands and, as workers chanted, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” said, “I [...]
This was originally posted by the author at The Idealist.
Leo Tolstoy is perhaps the ultimate example of the late-in-life nihilist-turned-idealist. He is best known for his mid-life fiction, most notably War and Peace and Anna Karenina. He was early on somewhat of a determinist and nihilist but late in life began a study of the [...]
I read The Essential Gandhi by Louis Fischer a few months ago. But until a 10-day work trip to Africa and the Middle East, I didn’t have time to write down all the passages I had underlined. They are many. I had a hard time delineating his ideas into categories because they are so (not [...]
In a book I recently read (that I wish I had read 20 years ago), A Thomas Jefferson Education, the author speaks of national books. “A national book is something that almost everyone in the nation [note the use of “nation” rather than “country”] accepts as a central truth.” Each nation has its own books, [...]
Every other week or so, I will post lyrics to a song or words to a poem that exemplify the ideas of the fearless path. One of the most out-spoken Christian songwriters of the last half of the 20th century was Johnny Cash. His life story is fascinating, demonstrating weaknesses, wild success, failure, loss, and [...]
Below is a letter I wrote to the editor of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City in response to another letter.
Are we a Christian nation? Saying so doesn’t make it so.
“Turn the other cheek.” How many times do we hear the phrase? So often, I would say, that it has lost its meaning. But what does it really mean? And more importantly—was He serious?
“Love thy neighbor.” OK, that’s not easy, but not impossible, either. But was Jesus serious when He said, “Love your enemies, [...]