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Schiavo Case Puts Human Dignity on Trial
Read this article published in the Rocky Mountain News. 
Letter to Time Magazine on Images
Download a printer-friendly version in James Kelly June 1, 2004 Dear Mr. Kelly: (This is not a “letter to the editor” for publication.) I read with interest your editorial of May 31, 2004, called “Brokering the Power of the Image.” You indeed bear a colossal responsibility for the images you select and reproduce for the masses of souls you influence every week. Let me give you another perspective on the matter. . . Continue reading "Letter to Time Magazine on Images"
Interview: The Soul in Cyberspace
Listen to an interview I did with Keith Plummer on Pensées about my book The Soul in Cyberspace. (RAM, requires Real Player). Go to the interview listing page.
Partial Birth, Total Confusion
Download a printer-friendly version in Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that partial-birth abortion is a “fundamental constitutional right,” we must take stock of our situation. Partial birth abortion cannot be outlawed because it is a method of performing an abortion, and abortion has come to be regarded as sacrosanct—a fundamental human right to kill very young humans. Anything is deemed justifiable so long as it can be placed under the rubric of “a woman’s right to choose.” The right to abort entails the right to kill, to kill cruelly and to kill unnecessarily. Now no state can prohibit it. Continue reading "Partial Birth, Total Confusion"
How to Write a Letter to the Editor
Download a printer-friendly version in Eleven Imperatives for ChristiansMy first letter to the editor was published when I was about ten years old. For reasons unknown to me now, I was eager for people to know about UFOs (despite the fact that I knew nothing about them, save what I saw on television). I wrote that “fling saucers” (they retained the misspelling for cuteness, thus ensuring my unending embarrassment) had been seen since biblical times . . . or something like that. Despite this early ignominy, I have written letters to various editors fairly steadily for about the last twenty-five years. Constantly setting the world (and the church) straight can be a wearisome business, but I’d say about seventy percent of my letters have been published in such places as The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon), The New York Times Magazine, The Seattle Times, The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin), Isthmus (a Madison, Wisconsin, weekly with New Age leanings), The Rocky Mountain News, Yoga Journal, Nexus: Colorado’s Holistic Journal, US News and World Report, The Reformed Journal, Christianity Today, The Other Side, and various college newspapers. Two of my letters were read on National Public Radio in 2003. My letters have also been rejected by Focus on the Family, The New York Times, Utne Reader, The American Spectator, The Denver Post, and other undiscerning publications. Over my years of writing and reading such letters, several literary imperatives have become evident to me. Continue reading "How to Write a Letter to the Editor"
Southern Baptists and the Subordination of Women
Download a printer-friendly version in The recent Southern Baptist declaration that the subordination of women is an essential Christian belief is but another sad chapter in the history of biblical misinterpretation and illogic in the church. Thinking they must protect the flock from the egregious errors of secular feminism, the denomination has fallen into the equal and opposite error of asserting a hierarchy of male authority. Their certainty that this is what the Bible “clearly” teaches is ill-founded. As a Puritan divine once said, “There may yet be more truth to break forth from God’s Word.” Continue reading "Southern Baptists and the Subordination of Women"
Review of Dinesh D’Souza, What’s So Great About AmericaWashington, D.C.: Regnery, 2002
Download a printer-friendly version in The terrifying infernos of September 11 did not merely breach our national security and jolt America into a war unlike any other. The savage attacks also raised urgent questions of good and evil, life and death—even heaven and hell. In the dreadful wake of undreamed-of horror, Americans began to take stock of themselves, their loved ones, their faith, and their nation. Many asked, “Why do they hate us?” thereby raising further questions about the nature, value, and destiny of what Abraham Lincoln called “The American experiment.” Our new motto is “United we stand.” But, as Americans, exactly what do we stand for, and whom do we stand against? Continue reading "Review of Dinesh D’Souza, What’s So Great About America"
Review of Charles Kimball, When Religion Becomes EvilSan Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002
Download a printer-friendly version in An old saying is that we should never discuss religion and politics among friends. This notion has always been suspect (aren’t these rather important subjects that make for bracing conversation?), but after last year’s terrorist attacks, the idea seems laughable. Now that America has been attacked by violent Islamicists, the topics are unavoidable. How should we understand religions’ connections to political and military goals? Can we tell when religions become “evil”? Religion professor Charles Kimball attempts to shed light on these questions in his wide-ranging book. Continue reading "Review of Charles Kimball, When Religion Becomes Evil"
Review of Quentin Schultze, Habits of the High Tech Heart: Living Virtuously in the Information AgeEerdmans, 2002
Download a printer-friendly version in Several years ago I administered a doctrinal oral examination at Denver Seminary. (This exam tests seminary students’ ability to explain their Christian beliefs.) This student did poorly when asked to relate biblical texts to the larger history of Scripture. He had studied by using a computer program that printed out acres of isolated Bible verses on various topics. He had collected and memorized biblical “factoids,” but he lacked a deeper sense of biblical history. I told him to read and study the Bible in book form. His use of technology lacked wisdom. This lack of wisdom in using computer technologies is widespread and it is what makes Habits of the High Tech Heart so significant.
Technology’s Subtle Assault on the Personal
Download a printer-friendly version in Personal computer screens usually don’t attract a crowd, and wedding ceremonies haven’t needed the help of computers. But one couple challenged all that. Karen Bray and Keith Prior were recently married while both were in different cities. How so? They were married online, in cyberspace. A newspaper photo shows a small group of happy people drawn toward the video monitor while a minister sitting next to the bride types in the wedding vows in order to send them via e-mail.1 If this novelty catches fire we might find nuptial computer systems that provide the desired sound effects, music, scenery, assorted vow possibilities (traditional, New Age, atheist, etc.), and virtual ministers for the designer wedding of your choice—right at your home keyboard! The couples’ cyber-ceremony, albeit intentionally off-beat, highlights a disturbing trend in our technological culture. The personal dimension of our lives is rapidly becoming simulated and ultimately subverted as it is translated into technologically impressive but impersonal arrangements, whether through computers, television, or other technological means. What I mean by the personal dimension will be illustrated by a wedding I performed—without benefit of computer. Continue reading "Technology’s Subtle Assault on the Personal"
Seeing Invisible Disabilities
Download a printer-friendly version in Jesus had an uncanny way of seeing what others missed and ministering to those who were forgotten, shunned, or misunderstood. He touched and healed the lepers when everyone else scurried away. He cared for those with chronic afflictions—such as congenital blindness and incurable hemorrhage—while others gave up. He bestowed hope where others scattered the ashes of despair. He was love Incarnate (John 1:14; 1 John 4:16). We need that character of divine love if we are to see and minister to the hurts of others. Continue reading "Seeing Invisible Disabilities"
Important Books About Television
Download a printer-friendly version in I have found the following books to be significant assessments of the nature and effects of television and electronic media in general. (These books are not primarily about the Internet. That would require another bibliography). Reading about television (which we do not read, but watch) is one judicious way to gain a perspective on it not available otherwise. Abstaining from television for long periods of time is another preferred method for gaining insights about its effect on one’s soul and the soul of a culture. Continue reading "Important Books About Television"
Leaving Behind Left Behind or Second Thoughts on the End of the World
Download a printer-friendly version in In the July 1 issue of Time, the cover story, “The Bible and the Apocalypse,” focused on America’s rising curiosity about the end of the world. Much attention was given the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. These blockbuster best-sellers, their spin-offs, and copycats offer fictional accounts of what the Book of Revelation teaches about events preceding the Second Coming of Christ. Over 40 million copies of the series are now in print, and the audience is not limited to conservative Christians. Recent world events, particularly the terrorist attacks on America, have spurred widespread interest in what this all means from a theological perspective. Continue reading "Leaving Behind Left Behind or Second Thoughts on the End of the World"
A Call for Discretion on the Internet
Download a printer-friendly version in Now that the Supreme Court has struck down key portions of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) as violating the First Amendment, we should pause to reconsider the meaning of rights, free speech, and censorship on the Internet. Continue reading "A Call for Discretion on the Internet"
Making Sense of Heaven’s Gate
Download a printer-friendly version in They believed they must kill themselves in order to leave our doomed planet and ascend to the “Level Above the human.” A spaceship flying in the wake of the Hale-Bopp comet would be their destination. Now that the basic facts about the Heaven’s Gate suicide cult are in, we are faced with the task of making some sense of it all. Why would thirty-nine people, many of them young with great promise, snuff out their lives under the influence of one Marshall Applewhite? Will it happen again? Continue reading "Making Sense of Heaven’s Gate"
Women, Religion and the Culture War
Download a printer-friendly version in At its yearly convention, the largest Protestant denomination in America passed a statement opposing abortion, pornography, homosexuality—and female pastors. For Southern Baptist leaders, these issues hang together. They assume that on their side of the culture war, Christians must oppose these practices as a piece. It is only the liberal, secular, or religiously compromised people on the other side who think differently. The press has also tended to present the issue in these polarized terms. Continue reading "Women, Religion and the Culture War"
My Story and the Gospel of Jesus
Download a printer-friendly version in I encourage you to consider the claims of the one who revolutionized my life twenty-five years ago. During my first year in college I studied many different philosophies and religions only to find myself very confused and hopeless. Then I began to give Christianity a chance after speaking with some very alive and compassionate Christians in a college dorm in Boulder. (I had gone to Sunday School for a few years and had a vague belief in God, but I had never taken the issues raised by Jesus Christ very seriously.) Before leaving Colorado I began to read books by Christians and to think seriously about the whole issue of the existence of God and my relationship to him. Continue reading "My Story and the Gospel of Jesus"
Religion Will Long Outlive Its Would-be Undertakers
Download a printer-friendly version in I am not a prophet, nor do I claim to read the signs of the times with apocalyptic precision. Nevertheless, I will offer a few suggestions about the prospects for religion in the next millennium. But first to the past, which is a key to the future. Although religion’s overall cultural authority has declined in Western nations in this century, religion has refused to go away. Over a hundred years ago, Nietzsche pronounced the “death of God” under the acids of modernity. His predictions of a war-torn and tumultuous twentieth century were dead on. But instead of God’s funeral, sociologists now attest to the resurgence of religion worldwide at both personal and political levels in the last several decades. (God has a habit of outliving his undertakers.) Continue reading "Religion Will Long Outlive Its Would-be Undertakers"
Repentance: A Missing Value
Download a printer-friendly version in A word is missing from the sordid scandals swirling around us. That word is repentance. In its place are equivocation, euphemism, damage control, legalese, and endless spin. No one, it seems, will to admit guilt anymore; so no one can ever come clean. But one can scramble to preserve power, discredit the accusers, cover the legal bases, and move on to more important things, thank you. Continue reading "Repentance: A Missing Value"
The Fate of Truth in Cyberspace
Download a printer-friendly version in In seventeenth century France, Blaise Pascal wrote that “Truth today is so obscure and error so established, that unless we love the truth, we will never know it.”1 Pascal was aware of the chains that keep us bound in untruths and the legion of excuses we have for dispensing with the search as too burdensome. Well before our technological age, Pascal pondered at length the plight of human knowledge in a world rife with error, deception, confusion, and stupidity. Ironically, Pascal invented the first adding machine, which formed the beginnings of the computer—a device that has both extended our capacities for knowledge and, at its worst, encouraged the avoidance of truth entirely. Continue reading "The Fate of Truth in Cyberspace"
What About Those Who Say Christianity Promotes Male Domination over Women?
Download a printer-friendly version in An obstacle hinders many souls from trusting in Jesus as their hope for this life and the next. Many modern women have felt the anguish of being treated as second-class citizens in a man’s world. They have been stereotyped and marginalized by men who fail to see their real abilities and understand their real desires. Because many women have been discriminated against unfairly because of their gender, they justifiably complain of the sting of sexism. Christians should be sensitive to these problems, since God calls us to respect everyone equally on the basis of the truth that we are all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:28), to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 19:19), and to recognize our unity and equality in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29). Yet sadly, many women see the Bible itself as justifying the mistreatment of half the human race. A few years ago I wrote an essay for a campus newspaper that responded to an editorial by a young goddess worshiper named Lia Salciccia. The woman’s article was provocatively titled, “Christianity Fails to Honor Women,”1 and represented the thinking of scores of people who reject the gospel because they believe the Bible is sexist. Continue reading "What About Those Who Say Christianity Promotes Male Domination over Women?"
Women Keep Promises, Too!
Download a printer-friendly version in Or, the Christian Life is for Both Men and WomenPeople both within and without the church have been expressing amazement over the rapid growth of Promise Keepers, the Christian men’s movement that was founded by Bill McCartney in 1990, and which drew a little over one million participants in 22 cities in 1996. Men involved in this movement are finding the inspiration to live righteously as honest and loving husbands, fathers and friends. They are learning to take responsibility for their families, to be faithful to their wives, to care for their children, to avoid pornography, to be involved and responsible members of their churches and communities, and to regard people of other races as their equals. In all of this, Promise Keepers offers a bracing antidote to the poison of male irresponsibility that evidently has become pandemic in American society. What can one say in response, but what everyone seems to have said already, namely, that PK is doing a vitally good work in the lives of many people in the church today? Continue reading "Women Keep Promises, Too!"
Review of Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
Read this review of The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, in the Christian Research Journal archives.
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Social Commentary Articles
Schiavo Case Puts Human Dignity on Trial Letter to Time Magazine on Images Interview: The Soul in Cyberspace Partial Birth, Total Confusion How to Write a Letter to the Editor Southern Baptists and the Subordination of Women Review of Dinesh D’Souza, What’s So Great About America Review of Charles Kimball, When Religion Becomes Evil Review of Quentin Schultze, Habits of the High Tech Heart: Living Virtuously in the Information Age Technology’s Subtle Assault on the Personal Important Books About Television Leaving Behind Left Behind or Second Thoughts on the End of the World A Call for Discretion on the Internet Women, Religion and the Culture War My Story and the Gospel of Jesus Religion Will Long Outlive Its Would-be Undertakers The Fate of Truth in Cyberspace What About Those Who Say Christianity Promotes Male Domination over Women? Review of Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth Favorite Articles
My Story and the Gospel of Jesus Three Books That Influenced Me Most Outthinking the World for Christ (The Mission of Denver Seminary's Philosophy of Religion Program) Christian Apologetics Manifesto Articles by Subject
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