I haven’t said anything until this point regarding several recent events. I personally prefer to remain silent until I believe I have something constructive to say, something helpful, something which may lead to positive change. I don’t necessarily believe anyone I know is doing the following, but I don’t want to speak merely to make
Tag: racism
Movie Review: Emanuel
My experience gives me the impression that it is very difficult to make a good documentary, perhaps even more difficult than making any other kind of film (not necessarily in the technical aspects, but in terms of writing and editing). In many ways, Emanuel was very well made, impressive even. Yet one of my first
Kneeling and the Flag, Police and Race, Guns, etc. — Understanding What’s Behind the Controversies
Along the lines of my previous post, I share here my attempt to understand a certain perspective different from my own. In the U.S., we’ve had quite a series of serious, deep controversies ongoing over the past several years. What has been most concerning about this to me is how it’s not just that different
The 13th (Movie Review)
I saw the new documentary “The 13th” recently. It is a good and powerful movie. The over-arching framework follows the experience of African Americans from the time of the 13th amendment (which prohibited slavery) to the present. That said, there are several sections of the documentary with respective themes. Not all of these are specifically
If I Were Giving a Speech… (My Response to Recent Shootings)
We in the U.S. recently celebrated the independence of our country. We take pride in our freedoms and the belief that each person has a right to be treated justly. We desire for our nation to be a proponent of freedom and human rights around the world. We have recently witnessed the tragic loss of
Understanding the Challenge of Non-Jews Becoming Christian
As I recently wrote about, it the earliest major controversy in Christianity was whether or not one had to become culturally Jewish in order to becoming a part of the community of Christ followers. I tried to come up with a metaphor which might better explain the situation they were in. The best I could
Can Non-Jews Be Christians?
The first major controversy in Christianity was whether or not non-Jews could become Christians. We read about this in Acts 15 and Paul wrote his letter to the Galatian churches in response to this. I haven’t felt that I completely grasped this controversy in the past. There is a focus on following the Mosaic Law,
Blood on Our Hands
Over 1,110 Palestinians have been killed in the past 21 days. 367 of those have been children. The humanitarian infrastructure of Gaza is on its knees- already devastated by years of comprehensive siege. There has been a deliberate, systematic destruction of all places of refuge. …we received word that the Israeli army had shelled Al
U.S. Policy on Israel
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has of course been in the news again here recently. The Israeli attacks have sparked a renewed outcry, which is the catalyst for my addressing the subject. I understand Israel wanting to put an end to the rocket attacks, but the conflict isn’t so simply nor is it just part of a
American Paranoia
I wanted to share what I wrote in response to receiving the email forward described at this link: http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/mexicoflag.asp. This is a topic which I had been planning to write about anyway, and this made for a good opportunity. I am quite disturbed about this email. I am appalled at the attitudes of fear and



