In David Brooks’ essay “The Nuclear Family Was A Mistake,” he demonstrates that for most of human history, we have existed in intricate entangled webs of extended family. For a majority of our history, society has been built on the…
Why I didn’t talk about love at my son’s wedding
When Graham and Alyssa asked me to perform the ceremony, I took it as a compliment, even though it also was a cost-cutting decision. They probably thought I would use my 10 minutes to talk about love. Ministers love talking…
How Southern Baptists got ‘distracted’ from the gospel
What do you think might count as a “distraction” from the gospel? To Southern Baptist Convention presidential candidate David Allen, all the sexual abuse cases piling up against the SBC and its churches are a “distraction.” To North American Mission…
Ideology distorts everything — especially the truth
Roaring “isms” roam the streets, looking for someone to devour — or at least brainwash. Who knew we’d reach such a moment, given Americans’ long aversion to ideology and indifference toward the philosophical battles that have ravaged much of the…
We have a teachable moment, and we’re blowing it
We haven’t seen protests on college campuses like this since the 1960s. As a professor, I’m thrilled to see a deep level of engagement by students on an important issue. I’m also horrified at the responses of many institutions to…
Christians in Palestine ask why U.S. believers ignore them
Since Hamas launched horrific attacks on Israel and Israel responded with its deadly and devastating war in Gaza, we’ve heard much about this conflict. But we’ve been deaf to the pained cries of Christian brothers and sisters caught up —…
What are they wearing in District One? The Met Gala, Gaza and another real-life connection to the Hunger Games
On May 6, celebrities waltzed into the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the year’s biggest night of fashion, extravagance and outrageous displays of wealth: The Met Gala. One ticket to the Met Gala costs around $75,000, which the BBC points…
From the Protestant Reformation to Columbia University, some thoughts on protests
Typically, historians view Oct. 31, 1517, as the beginning of the period known as the Protestant Reformation. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest a decade earlier, Martin Luther came to a deep conviction of the need for reform in the…
My mum and I
I was recently forwarded, via WhatsApp, a video clip of my mother among some family members at a house opening ceremony in my hometown in Southern Nigeria. The video was shared by my beloved cousin, Vicki Egbo. Having not physically…