Recovering Our Political Culture
When you sit down and listen to those you disagree with you can begin to fully understand their position—not merely conceding to agree with them, but showing them dignity and hoping to work together to find a common solution. Based on our current political culture, I think we will all be surprised at what we can solve when the yelling ends and the listening begins.
The Heart of the Matter in Education Reform
Education reform in the United States has become noisy. Proposed curriculum changes, school choice, vouchers, mandates, the list goes on and on; why does education reform really matter? We see the news headlines over viral videos of parents screaming at school board...
Take Up and Read
Choosing not to read, then, is a decision with cosmic, indeed, eternal consequences, and we should shudder at the prospect of Jesus looking at us in the end and asking, as He once did, “Have you not read?” Like the Pharisees of old, we will be without excuse, our tongues heavy laden with explanations of all the things, apart from reading, which we chose to do. And thus, it behooves us now–today–to consider what kind of people we want to be, and if the answer is empathetic, virtuous, and Christ-like, we ought to take up and read.
A Missing Link in Poverty Alleviation: Humility
Ultimately, humility provides an understanding that investing in individual relationships is essential in alleviating relative poverty. It means living under the consideration that we are merely vessels, used by God as He wills, for His glory and name. We do not possess the answers or end-all-be-all solution, yet, we do possess the God-given capacity to invest in relationships that sow good. And thus, with this proposed framework, the aim to care for those who are poor invokes something from all of us.
Waste of a Space Race?
In the end, the debate is not whether billionaires should pay their fair share in taxes or engage in more philanthropic activity. It’s about whether or not a society should allow its best and brightest to engage in innovative activity that will generate opportunity, promote flourishing, and help solve societal ills. Many think that these billionaires are simply engaging in a “bucket list” activity that will hurt the populace. Unfortunately, those thoughts are shortsighted. Without true innovators, we may not find the answers to tomorrow’s crises.
The Insufficiency of Identity
The modern Western world gives incredible value to identity. Without an identity, you will not have peace. You will be either a mindless husk of a person, absorbing whatever happens to come down your gullet, or tossed by the winds of harsh modernity. Therefore, the path of “self-discovery” and finding an identity is deemed essential for all. However, this presents a problem for religious individuals (at least those who believe in a deity), since it does not necessarily include any external definition. Sure, the eventual joining of a social group – perhaps religious – is often the outcome of finding an identity. But the lack of external impetus is troubling, to say the least, since God, as an external actor, is off the table.
A Case Against Charter Cities
In his famous 2009 TED talk, American economist Paul Romer proposed a revolutionary solution to the question of how a struggling country can break out of poverty when it’s trapped in a system of bad rules. The short answer? Charter cities. The longer answer is much more complex.
Willing to Jump Ship
When we think about generosity, money typically comes to mind. Being generous with our “giving” is boiled down to fiscal terms, with numbers as the telltale indicator of who has outdone another. Yet, our tendency to dwell on numerical terms alone reveals a more...
Evangelical Anxiety is Resolved in Noahic Ambition
Aspirations are not ungodly. Entering into politics is no sin. Wanting to influence the world for the better on a macro scale is admirable. To deny any of these would be antinomian, since to deny calling is to live a life that does not glorify God. But when we pursue our aspirations, political goals, and ambitious world-changing ideas, let us keep the example of Noah and take heed of the warning of the people of Shinar. If we do, we shall be well poised to exact change wherever we go.
