*Spoiler Alert! Major spoiler for the last Harry Potter novel ahead. The theme of resurrection is dominant in the last of the seven original Harry Potter books. One of the three great “hallows” is literally called the resurrection stone. Harry himself undergoes a physical resurrection of sorts after sacrificing himself for those he loves. The... Continue Reading →
The Masks We Wear: Paul Laurence Dunbar and the Human Condition
Recently, I posted a blog with one of my favorite quotes about literature which states that, “Literature [is] the laboratory of the human condition.”1 How often I’m reminded of just how true that is! Last night I was reading some selected poems from three late American poets who each reflected various "experiments" into what it... Continue Reading →
Why MLK’s Letter From Birmingham Jail is a Timely Read
“Do not say, ‘Why is it that the former days were better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.” Ecclesiastes 7:10 Why are we so inclined to think that our moment is always the most pressing? The most divided? The most troubled? I think there are many reasons for... Continue Reading →
A Brief Plea For Pursuing a Gentle Spirit
Our societal age is known for many of its attributes. Anxiety. Divisiveness. Cynicism. Sarcasm. Skepticism. Disdain. Surely some admirable things could be said, but these are perhaps some of the most dominate attitudes within our air. Yet for the Christian life, this must not be so. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to be known for... Continue Reading →
The Contrast between Christian and Buddhist Art
Art reveals much about a society or culture. It can be used to vividly portray conflict or express memorable protest. It can be fashioned to imaginatively express an ideology’s ideal or to rebelliously push against that underlying narrative. It would be an incomplete description of any time period if that culture’s art was not mentioned.... Continue Reading →
Subversive Fulfillment Evangelism
Navigating culture as followers of Jesus Christ is not something many of us find easy. Evangelizing culture is something we often, in practice, treat as nearly impossible. Sometimes, it’s not even a lack of faith that inhibits our evangelism, but our inability of knowing where to start. While there is no single cut and dry... Continue Reading →