The charter of the United Nations begins with “We the people.” The U.N. is the one organization that ostensibly ties all of the world’s people together. And yet I’m sure that swaths of human beings don’t identify themselves as a…
The war at home: Four ways good faith can help defeat ISIS
What is frightening about the recent mass killings in San Bernardino, Calif., is how easily seemingly ordinary individuals can wreak havoc on the lives of so many innocent people. Our vulnerability to mass murder has been revealed many times in…
“Undo the folded lie”
“I believe the light that shines on you will shine on you forever . . . though I can’t guarantee there’s nothing scary hiding under your bed.” -Paul Simon, lyrics in “Father and Daughter” This Advent I feel more like…
Jerry Falwell Jr., Franklin Graham and the sad effects of terrorism on Christianity
The goal of terrorism is far more complex and far more sinister than just the taking of human life, as painful and devastating as that is. It is to instill a fear — a terror — in those who bear…
The dangers of radical Islam and Christian hypocrisy
I’ll be honest. The sight of all those cheering Christians almost brought me to tears. I cannot bear the thought of a so-called “Christian” sanctuary filled with cheers and praise. The pastor says: bomb the hell out of them, just…
The biblical reality of refugees
By Alan Rudnick As terrorist attacks impacted cities around the world like Paris and Beirut, we have learned that some of the terrorists falsely used refugee status to cross borders. As refugees continue to leave Syria in massive numbers, Republican…
#IStandWithAhmed, Pope Francis, and a LONG history of fear
A few weeks ago the hashtag #IstandwithAhmed didn’t even exist. Now it is the latest viral hashtag to take twitter by storm. The incident in Irving, Texas has drawn attention around the world. Prominent names from a wide range of…
The ISIS crisis
The capacity of ISIS to enthrall and recruit youth and young adults from Western democratic countries has left many baffled. It is such a counterpoint to the spirit of the mass demonstrations that characterized the Arab Spring, which now seems…
Adventures in missing the point
It’s once again graduation season. And what does graduation season mean? No more school! No more books! No more teachers’ dirty looks … well, scratch that last part. As Alice Cooper sang in his 1972 single, “School’s out for the…