Many think Christianity can be reduced to a set of rules – rules which must always be followed. They think about it legalistically. Why not? Every religion of this world operates in this way. The concept is this: “Follow this set of guidelines to perfection and you will reach fulfillment.” In order to end suffering, […]
The False Dichotomy: Social Justice & the Christian Gospel
Bill Gates once donated 100,000 chickens to Bolivia in an effort to alleviate extreme poverty. [1] According to Gates, he was investing in long-term economic development, helping families establish a sustainable source of income. Bolivia rejected the offer. [2] It viewed the effort as demeaning and unnecessary, highlighting that often what we think is best […]
Bearer of His Image: Beauty in the Body
It’s consuming our culture: the war between toxic self-deprecation and self-glorification. Despite the trend of cultural movements that emphasize body positivity, there are moments when the person you see in the mirror is the last person you want to see. At the heart of this discussion is the fact that we are dissatisfied with our […]
Bridging the Gap: Racial Reconciliation in the Church
“The problem of the twentieth century [was] the problem of the color-line,”¹ a blurry yet impenetrable distinction that split white from black, free from enchained, the children of one mother from another. Long before that, another line – in the Bible, between Jew and Gentile, between the free and the enchained, the liberated and oppressed.² […]
Jim Wallis: An Interview on Social Justice & Partisan Politics
Jim Wallis is a New York Times best-selling author, theologian, and international speaker and commentator on faith and public life, culture, and politics. He has written twelve books, including America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America and On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned About Serving […]
Wellness, Food Morality, and the Longing to Be Cleansed
Jesse walks into a restaurant with a group of friends. They look at the menu, and he stares at it for a long while wondering how to minimize his carb intake, looking constantly around at the words emerging from others’ lips, but not really hearing the words. He has already studied the menu online beforehand, […]