Category: Values
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Franklin Graham and Freedom of Religion
I find many of the things that Franklin Graham says extremely frustrating. Whether he is talking about Muslims, or Donald Trump, it seems like he represents a brand of religio-nationalism more than he does the teachings of Christ. However, I thought this post defending his work (through Samaritan’s Purse) in New York was very insightful…
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The agency of refugees
I wrote previously about two narratives that undermine the way in which we look at refugees: that they deserve help because they might be the next Steve Jobs, and that they should be viewed primarily as victims. In this post I will point out why recognising and celebrating the agency of refugees could be beneficial…
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What does it mean to belong?
There’s a lot of talk these days about belonging: who’s in and who’s out. Everyone seems to have an opinion. No one really knows who gets to decide. For some, it’s the immigrants who don’t belong. They’re the outsiders who should go back to where they come from. For others it’s the racists who don’t…
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Are you a ________ or merely a consumer of ________ artifacts?
In his wonderful book, You Are What You Love, James K. A. Smith encourages us to reflect on the religious nature of the shopping experience by describing the shopping mall as a place of worship: The layout of this temple has architectural echoes that harken back to medieval cathedrals – mammoth religious spaces designed to…
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There’s a bit of Boris in us all
Back in 1890, a young Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem about Burma. The poem, The Road to Mandalay, was written from the perspective of a British soldier once stationed there. The soldier reminisces about the place, an encounter with a local girl, and describes his surroundings with the kind of paternalistic grandeur of someone who…
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The utility of refugees
There are several strands of conversation, or discourse, on the subject of refugees and why they should, or should not be offered the hospitality of our national borders. I find two of them particularly disturbing. First, the idea that refugees are worthy of help because of who they may become. The argument goes something like…
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What Downton Abbey Can Teach Us About The Future
I’m usually more attracted to future-oriented ideas and stories, but I grew to like Downton Abbey when I realised that, even though it’s a historical drama, it’s all about change.
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The Psychology of Conflict
It can be so easy to view institutions as unshakeable, fixed perspective, entities. They stand for something that is public and impersonal, something unchangeable. But what if we looked at organisations more as the sum of their individual parts than as an official whole? A few weeks ago I was listening to the wonderful Analysis…
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When Values Trump Profits
Like many aspiring writers out there, I’ve read my fair share of “How To Grow Your Readership, Publish A Book, Make A Six Figure Salary And Get Voted President In Just One Year” posts. I’ve done my best to understand how people build platforms and tribes. I’ve memorised mantras like “don’t guest post without making sure…