To forgive is to cancel a debt, and to cease feeling anger towards a wrongdoer---whether or not they have repented. Wouldn't this go a long way in breaking the hate cycle that infects our divided culture, both in person and online? The question is fraught with complexity, and yet perhaps no one in history was better equipped to answer it than Martin Luther King, Jr. It's worth reflecting on his insights as we honor his legacy and look ahead at 2021.
Tag: Theology
Book Review: ‘The Color of Compromise’ by Jemar Tisby
Jemar Tisby has done the church a great service in documenting its pattern of racism during key epochs in American history and showing a way towards repentance and institutional reform. This isn't just a historical survey of the distant past but of events as recent as Black Lives Matter and the election of Trump. At the very least, Tisby's analysis ought to prompt Christians to critically examine how racism manifests in their midst in subtle ways today, and determine how to fight it.
The Heartbeat of Anti-Racism
"The heartbeat of anti-racism is confession, is admission, is acknowledgement, is the willingness to be vulnerable," says Ibram Kendi in a recent podcast. He is not making a religious argument, and yet it is remarkable how drenched in religious rhetoric his argument is.
On the Inconvenience of Surrender
C.S. Lewis once wrote that surrendering yourself is the only way to find your true self. It's a true and inspiring sentiment which, unfortunately for Christians, is diametrically opposed to just about everything a culture bent on consumerism and expressive individualism stands for.
How to Be Brave in a Pandemic
What is courage, and how do we get more of it to face the difficult days ahead? Insights from sci-fi, art, and social activism.
Fani’s Vision in ‘A Hidden Life’
What enables you to endure suffering? What gives you the hope to go on? In Fani's case, it is a glimpse of a restored world where everything sad comes untrue.
Forget Thyself
"The self-forgetful person would never be hurt particularly badly by criticism. It would not devastate them, it would not keep them up late, it would not bother them. Why?"
Cynicism and Joy
In two paragraphs Henri Nouwen conveys incredible insight on the nature of darkness and light, cynicism and joy.
Waiting Is One of the Worst Parts of Suffering
One of the worst parts of suffering is waiting. Yet few times of year are better for waiting than Advent.
An Objection about House Churches and Liturgy
James K.A. Smith's argument for the power of historic liturgy seems difficult to accept if you meet in a house church.
