The Wonder of a Simple Little Bird

Yesterday, my wife and I joined my father (94 years old) on the side of a hill to watch the Thunderbirds put on their show for the Air Force Academy graduation. I took a few pictures with my tiny little pocket camera, so they are not the greatest, but I’ve posted them here for you [...]

Seeking Kindness in a Straw Brain

Shankar Vedantam (Washington Post) articled today about an experiment conducted at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Neuroscientists had given volunteers “moral” problems to solve while scanning their brains, hoping to find out if different brain areas were activated depending upon whether or not they chose a selfish response or a benevolent response. [...]

The Growing Bayonet

The AP news today from London is that the British are contemplating legislation that will increase the power of the police to stop anyone without cause and apparently request identification papers and ask questions like, “Where have you been?” and “Where are you going?” and “Why?”
All of this is part of a new anti-terrorism bill [...]

Swearing in on the Koran—What Do We Really Believe?

For years, the courtrooms in America operated under a fairly simple mandate: find out the truth in a dispute and issue a righteous ruling based upon those facts. To highten the motivation for witnesses to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, they were asked to swear an oath before God, [...]

Article Analysis: ‘Resistance to Science’ Has Early Roots

Yesterday, I told you that I attempt to develop critical discernment skills in my seminary students by requiring them to analyze current media articles to find their underlying truth claims. This is a valuable exercise, for we can end up unconsciously buying those messages because they are hidden between the lines in the article’s assumptive [...]

It’s Never Just an Article

[Personal note: I just had my one-week post-op exam and the surgeon told me everything is progressing well. Thank you all for your prayers—it was a great blessing to me and deeply humbling to have you do so. God is gracious and I am starting to feel much better…pain is abating; strength is on the [...]

Personal Status—Sensing the Urgency

I don’t know what is “proper” in blogsville when it comes to talking about personal issues. However, I am sure that few things can take you there more quickly than recounting the trials of post-op.
As much as I would rather just wait until it is all over and then continue, I have this gnawing [...]

Islam—A Worldview of Difference, Part 2

Thank you for your prayers. My surgery went well.
It is the post-op that I am wrestling with. I cannot remember the last time pain brought tears to my eyes, but last night brought them both. It is so nice to have a loving wife brush them away.
Although she was reluctant, I finally talked [...]

The Uncertainty of Life

Several weeks ago, we had one of those late spring snow storms for which the Rocky Mountains are famous. Our area got nearly two feet of wet and heavy snow, coupled with some very high winds. That is a deadly combination—for trees. We live in the Black Forest, north of Colorado Springs, and it really [...]

Islam—A Worldview of Difference, Part 1

Fifteen years ago, when I was working at the White House, I commuted with a very close friend who worked at a think tank in Washington D.C. After the fall of the Soviet Union, our conversations in the car often turned toward what would constitute the next major world threat. My friend, who is [...]