When Shrugging is Not an Option
- May/June 2025
- April 30, 2025
Looking for a “hook,” an attention-grabbing story to use as an introduction for this essay, I found so many extreme weather events in 2017-2019 that I was at a loss for which one to pick. In their sheer destructiveness, they were all devastatingly similar. And the responses of the people who went through them were terrifyingly
READ MORETwo recent surveys shone a bright light on a dark reality. They revealed that people who claim to be “religious” are far more likely to view those who are different from them with distrust and downright hostility. Conversely, a majority of those who consider themselves “secular” seem to have no such problems accepting people groups
READ MOREHistory is sepia-colored and correctly distant for most; if they think on the past at all. I still remember my own shock some years ago after I had regaled a committee group with my memories of the Vietnam War—an era all too real in my memory. A design assistant looked at me blankly: “I wasn’t
READ MOREIllustration by Jon Krause Even during Christ’s time on earth, the idea of enforcing obedience to God’s law was cherished by some who professed to follow Him. Even Jesus’ own disciples expressed this sentiment. When Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He sent messengers to a Samaritan village to ask if He could stay
READ MOREIn Ainkawa, the Christian neighborhood of Erbil, Iraq, churches are protected by metal bars and armed soldiers. Speaking Arabic and Aramaic, the soldiers are dressed in the uniforms of the Peshmerga, the armed forces of the Kurdistan autonomous region of Iraq. The suburb of Ainkawa, located on the western limits of Erbil, seems vibrant and
READ MOREMany fundamentalists, who used to eschew the politics of this world and thought the kingdom of God was only for our hearts now and for heaven when we die, have entered the fray with a fervor we haven’t seen in ages. And they have taken center stage in this engagement. They have gained the ear
READ MOREA man of contradictions: That is how many today view John Knox, the outspoken and stalwart Reformer of Scotland. He is remembered both as a bold visionary for the future of reform in Scotland, as well as somewhat of a misogynist to twenty-first-century eyes. For while at times bold, he could also be harsh, even
READ MOREIn Canada, America, and Europe, migration, refugee influx, and immigration issues have exploded in unprecedented ways to shape political campaigns, political fortunes, and caused political upheaval even within democracies. The Canadian Corner The immigration issue was certainly a major point of discussion and arguably part of the electoral dynamic in the Canadian federal elections of
READ MOREDressed in an all-white suit with a white tie, attorney Joe Brandon, Jr., paced back and forth in the county courthouse in Rutherford County, Tennessee, peppering witnesses with incendiary questions. On some of the six days of the proceedings, Brandon wore brightly colored ties with checkered shirts and checkered suits. In all of his looks,
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