The Perils of Public Prayer
According to The Washington Post, “State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz was on the ninth ‘Jesus’ of her opening prayer in the Pennsylvania...
THINKBETTER
What's wrong? How did we get here? What shall we do?
JOHN G. STACKHOUSE, JR.
Thoughts on
CHRISTIANITY, THE ACADEMY, AND PUBLIC LIFE
The Paradoxes of Canada’s National Sport
“He shoots! He scores!” It’s playoff time in the National Hockey League, and we Canadians alter our social lives accordingly....
Beware the Politicians Crying, “Hijab! Hijab!”
This past week Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull proposed to lengthen the pathway to citizenship in his country while also...
The Cost of Free Speech on Campus
There is much to fear and loathe in the latest example of militant and violent campus intolerance. At Middlebury College in Vermont,...
Fighting Our Phobias
While the U. S. President continues to wrestle with the American judiciary over whether people wanting to enter the United States can and...
Milo, Maher, and Muck
I have never watched Bill Maher’s show in my life. I’ve seen clips of it, and of him guesting on other people’s shows, and there’s been...
Tolerance for Diversity Breaks Out at McGill
[This column was originally posted on “Context with Lorna Dueck” six months ago. Alas, the issues remain live all over the continent.]...
“Love Your Enemies”: The 24-Karat Golden Rule for Politicians
[The following is an edited version of the address I delivered at the Prayer Breakfast of the Conservative Party of Canada in Vancouver...
The #1 Sign of a Doomed Relationship
[This is another of my posts in my “On Second Thought” blog for “Context with Lorna Dueck”] On Valentine’s Day we celebrate romantic...
Justice Means Justice for Everyone
The high-profile case of Wheaton College and Dr Larycia Hawkins continues to grind on. Full disclosure: I earned my MA there; I taught...
“Conservative” Shouldn’t Mean Just “Grumpy and Complacent in Privilege”
This article, touted by a good friend of mine, but written by someone not known to me, is a prime example of why I stopped subscribing...
On Forbearance and Listening
My wife once brought me up short, years ago, by suggesting that a man telling women to calm down when they wanted to express their pain...
I am Bernie Sanders
Well, I’m not exactly the same as Bernie Sanders, I suppose. He’s a US Senator, and I’m a Canadian scholar. He’s Jewish, and I’m...
Grabbing the Microphone Is a Violent Act…
…and therefore should be considered as such when it comes to the ethics of “direct action” in activism. Some of us are discussing the...
On Trusting God Rather than Freaking Out
I’ve been enjoying teaching the basic concepts of my book Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World to students gathered...
Holding One’s Nose to Defend Charlie Hebdo
“Secular society” does not mean that nothing is sacred. The common good is sacred. The welfare of society is sacred. And by “sacred” in...
“Warning: May Contain Peanuts”: Trigger Warnings, Pedagogy, and Common Sense
I wish there had been a “trigger warning” during my music history course in 1980. I was finishing my undergraduate degree at Queen’s...
Before You Talk or Write about Homosexuality…
A few friendly tips, if I may, for those Christian leaders, preachers, professors, pundits, activists, and anyone else who wants to...
What Is a University for?
According to University Affairs, a Canadian university professor recently worked with a student who asked that he be allowed to withdraw...
The Loathsome Quebec Charter Is Still in Process…
Like a monster from a nightmare, Quebec’s proposed Values Charter lurches forward toward law in that deeply divided province. (So much...