By: Dan Kreiss on April 5, 2018
The polarizing effect of our incessant moralizing is evident all around us. From the most recent US presidential election to the debates over the morality of same-sex marriage. From the disagreements over illegal immigrants and ‘DACA’ status to the food stamp and unemployment benefits programs. Let’s be honest, these strong points of view are even…
By: Mark Petersen on April 5, 2018
If you favour CNN over Fox, or are Anglican rather than Baptist, you might be bewildered by the apparent intransigence of those who believe and vote differently than you do. Jonathan Haidt, in his book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, offers compelling research that begins to unpack how…
By: Dave Watermulder on April 5, 2018
There is a memorable scene from the movie “Good Will Hunting” that takes place in a bar near Harvard University. A beautiful young college student named Skylar comes up to talk to Will Hunting, a young man who is trying to figure out how to use his extraordinary gifts in the larger world. After chatting,…
By: Katy Drage Lines on April 5, 2018
“The Bible is clear on this.” How many times have you heard that statement, or one similar to it? Growing up in a church that took the Bible literally, it was common to hear, “just read the Bible and you’ll understand.” I heard these declarations in light of women preaching, leading communion, or baptizing (we…
By: Jennifer Williamson on April 5, 2018
A few years back I was at a conference for American missionaries serving in France. One of the keynote speakers was the Director of the National Council of French Evangelicals (NCFE) and he was asked to teach about how missionaries could best be of service to the Kingdom of God in France—a large topic to…
By: Mary Walker on April 5, 2018
Affirming persons requires granting them respect, and that includes respect for their autonomy, their relationality, and their well-being.[1] In his book, Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community, Andrew Marin sought to build bridges between the LGBTQ community and fundamentalist Christians. Marin asked open-ended questions in order to start the dialog…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on April 4, 2018
Throughout the ages, Christianity has continually attempted to define marriage, relationships, and God’s role and expectations of both. Within each culture, denomination, and era, what used to be acceptable at one time might not be acceptable today. For instance, polygamy was widely practiced among many of the patriarchs in the Bible but is now considered…
By: Greg on April 4, 2018
“In recent years, cheating has got so out of control that, three years ago, in a small Chinese town in Hubei province, a group of gaokao (University entrance exam) invigilators found themselves under siege as enraged parents and students trapped them in their office and threw rocks at the windows, shouting, “We want fairness! Let…
By: Jim Sabella on April 4, 2018
Allow me to begin this post by stating that I don’t ever remember feeling so uncomfortable writing publically about a particular subject or subjects. This does not mean that I am not willing to engage. On the contrary, engagement is critical for me as a person, leader, student, and Christian. I am an undeterred seeker of…
By: Lynda Gittens on April 4, 2018
http://www.truthfollower.com/2015/08/woman-is-gods-finest-and-beautiful.html Author Adrian Thatcher wrote his book, God, Sex, and Gender: An Introduction, for three reasons. They are: 1. “To introduce students and general readers to the exhilaration of thinking theologically about sex, sexuality, sexual relationships, and gender roles. 2. To introduce students and general readers to a comprehensive and consistent theological understanding of…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on April 4, 2018
First of all, I thought it was interesting and rather bold (and to many, offensive) that the UK version of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion has a cover with a middle finger in place of the “i” in Mind of the title. I guess those Brits can handle…
By: Jay Forseth on April 3, 2018
Our small town in Columbus, Montana has a population of 1800, with about 25% of souls attending church on a Sunday morning (nearly 50% attend on Christmas and Easter). We have more dogs/cats than addresses. There are 9 churches in our town, with nearly the same number of casinos. More people attend our Friday night…
By: Chris Pritchett on April 3, 2018
In his book, “The Righteous Mind,” Jonathan Haidt offers his findings in moral psychology that seek to explain why some people are “liberals” while others are “conservative.” Or to put it another way, “Why is everyone who disagrees with me so stupid?” According to Haidt, it is not because some of us used pure reason…
