The latest death on the mission field challenges the church to rethink a view of martyrdom as peak adventure. Until recently, few in the US had heard of North Sentinel Island, where young American John Allen Chau was killed with arrows by members of an isolated tribal group. But as the story spread—first the tale …
When we finally spoke face-to-face, his exact words were, “I get it. He’s scratching an itch that I can’t right now.” I remember the moment I felt an unmistakable attraction to a man who wasn’t my husband. It would mark the beginning of an infatuation that waxed and waned for nearly a year. He and …
Why being human means we must be embodied. Human bodies married to metallic bodies—one complex system intertwining with another—happen with more frequency these days. Samsung revealed research this month on technology that would allow people with physical disabilities to control their TVs with their thoughts. Johnny Matheny became the first man to receive a robotically …
How Christians can partner with Muslims on religious freedom. Religious liberty seems to be constantly in the news. From the policies of the current administration, to supreme court nominees, to religious conflict in the CAR, to the recent acquittal of Asia Bibi, events impacting the religious freedom of people worldwide seem to be happening constantly …
The surprising context for the holiday Lincoln instituted is a good reminder to us today. In the fall of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued two landmark statements. You probably know about the first—the famous Gettysburg Address, in which Lincoln commemorated the battlefield of Gettysburg. At Gettysburg, Lincoln called the nation to remember the sacrifice of …
The history of our food speaks of injustice— and invites us to redemption. I sat in silence at a corner table of the bustling Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The spread before me was vibrant: a bright and creamy saag paneer, chicken curry spiced as one might find in the Kerala region …
John Winthrop’s “city upon a hill” language wasn’t meant to puff up his hearers with pride but to send a chill down their spines. Ronald Reagan understood the power of metaphor. From his stirring election-eve speech in 1980 to his moving farewell address eight years later (and in more than 30 instances in between), the …
Opposing types of knowledge are at the heart of today’s polarization. How does a Christian decide? Across Europe and the Americas, from Budapest to Brasilia, a striking mass migration is well underway. This migration involves no passports, asylum claims, or border police. It is happening within each nation’s own borders and can be made without …
How attending to our theological center helps us remember who we are. For nine years now, I have been watching my mother’s identity slowly fade as memories and capacities switch off, one after another, like lights of a house shutting down for the night. Marriage may be a school of sanctification, as Luther said, but …
What happens when we realize the Bible is meant for more than teaching us right from wrong? How did the Bible embolden a movement of civil rights activists who felt abandoned and antagonized by their brothers and sisters in Christ? As Christians, we are called to hold fast to biblical convictions, even when cultural currents …