A friend who’s a student at the Kennedy School of Government sends along a link to their brand new Africa Policy Journal. It aims to discuss Africa-related issues and policy from the perspective of Africans. You can view the inagural issue here.

The Christian Century reports on a recent speech by Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois, a staunch conservative Republican, warning against overconfidence in our power to remake the world: “It is a truism that power breeds arrogance. A far greater danger, however, stems from the self-delusion that is the more certain companion. For individuals and countries…

Amnesty International has released a report stating that torture and inhumane treatment are “widespread” under U.S. custody. This goes against the “a few bad apples” line that Washington has pushed. See also this reflection from theologian George Hunsinger.

Lots of well-intentioned folks are urging us to “do something” about the crisis in Darfur. And, heaven knows, there’s a lot of bad stuff going down. Just recently it was reported that the UN had to cut its rations to refugees there due to inadequate funding. That seems like something that could, and should, be…

Swedish Lutheran theologian Anders Nygren is best known for his book Agape and Eros, which argued for agape as the essence of divine love in Christianity. But his little book The Essence of Christianity: Two Essays is worth reading too. For my purposes I want to focus on the second essay, “The Atonement as a…

Some good reading out there this week. I particularly liked “Dembski and the Cause of Evil” at Siris, “The Case for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons” at Mode for Caleb, and the discussion of The Gospel of Judas at Even the Devils Believe.

We just started watching the short-lived late 90s series Freaks and Geeks on DVD. Very funny and sweet. Especially if you were – ahem – not the most popular kid in high school. In the episode we watched last night, Lindsay, a smart girl who’s testing the waters of rebellion by hanging out with the…

There’s been a fair bit of discussion recently about presumed presidential aspirant (and current Massachusetts governor) Mitt Romney’s Mormonism and how that might play with voters. Romney faces two distinct, but not unrelated problems. Evangelical Protestants who make up an influential portion of the GOP base tend to see Mormons, despite their their social conservatism,…

The Lutheran Zephyr has asked for reflections on What It Means to Be Lutheran. I’m going to split this into two parts: why did I become Lutheran and why do I stay Lutheran. Embarassing as it sounds, I literally picked the local Lutheran church out of the phone book. My then-fiancée and I were obliged…

Lutheran church holds “Worship with the Beatles.”Gag. At least U2 sings about Jesus sometimes. (link via Here We Stand)