A call to Christian counterculture
In Lectures on Calvinism (1898), Abraham Kuyper distinguishes Christianity and modernism as two fundamentally different life-systems. Remaining distinct from the world is especially difficult in modern times. The legal establishment of same-sex marriage in New York state—not by a rogue court, mind you, but by legislative act—raises pressing questions for the Church. Will we stand... Continue Reading
Why This Evangelical Could Vote For Mitt Romney
Unbelievers, moreover, seem to be acceptable biblically to serve in public office. When Paul wrote Romans 13—which commands obedience to civil government—pagans were the chief government officials in Rome. Publisher’s Note: On May 27 we ran an Op-Ed piece written by Warren Cole Smith, the Associate Publisher of World Magazine, in which he gave his... Continue Reading
Jesus Christ, Extraterrestrial?
If life is found on other planets, does Christian faith come unraveled? Or would other life forms also be redeemed by grace? An Interview with Jennifer Wiseman, chief of NASA’s exoplanet division. The Veritas Riff is a group of friends who combine deep faith with world-class expertise in subjects ranging from politics, science, culture, business,... Continue Reading
President Obama’s Inalienables
President Obama and his administration pride themselves as modern progressives. The progressive project, for 100 years and counting, has been about reshaping and redefining the very essence of American thinking. The Constitution itself has been the obvious target. Each time President Obama addresses America’s inalienable rights, I get emails. “Did you see Obama left out... Continue Reading
Do the faithful need a new National Anthem?
Oh what a patriotic tempest a small Anabaptist Indiana teapot of a college has provoked! The Goshen College Board of Directors announced today that it has asked President James E. Brenneman to find an alternative to playing the Star-Spangled Banner that fits with sports tradition, that honors country and that resonates with Goshen College’s core... Continue Reading
Breaking the Mold – Christian formation means not letting the world press us into its mold.
How exactly does the world shape us into its image? I recently asked my eight-year-old daughter a question, and she replied, “Whatever.” I asked her where she learned to respond to others’ questions in this way. Her response: “Everywhere.” As a Christian leader, I am grieved by statistics indicating that believers and non-believers live almost... Continue Reading
My Take: Church is world’s most powerful weapon against AIDS
The church has the largest distribution network on the planet. There are more churches in the world than all the Wal-Marts, McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. The church was global 200 years before anyone else thought of globalization. We could take you to thousands of villages around the world where the only institution to speak of... Continue Reading
My Version of Tuesdays with Morrie
Tuesdays with Morrie, a 1997 book by Mitch Albom about his conversations with ALS patient Morrie Schwartz, made wisdom from our elders popular, especially if those elders are dying. There is something about dying that clarifies the mind and reveals what is especially important. My father-in-law Jack is my Morrie. He was diagnosed with untreatable... Continue Reading
Midnight in Paris and the Pull of Nostalgia
In the last of his Narnia books, Lewis shows us his vision of the end. It is not an escape from creation or a flight from the past. It is instead a more “real” Narnia, of which the older Narnia was but a shadow. Life in this present Narnia comes to a close but it... Continue Reading
Magical Rooms – When Magical Books are not enough!
My pastor asked me to “fix up” the church library. It was in need of some updating, and hasn’t really even been used much lately. When my daughter, Solanna, and I first meandered in the modest space, she proclaimed her obvious reason for its abandonment: “Ooh! This place majorly needs new carpet!” Well, that’s not... Continue Reading