“By the Rivers of Babylon”: Thoughts on Exile for the 4th of July

Invited to Rochester, New York to speak in July 1852, the abolitionist Frederick Douglass asked if his listeners meant ” to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day?” After all, he said, “This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” Being asked to celebrate a slaveholding country as a former slave brought to his … More “By the Rivers of Babylon”: Thoughts on Exile for the 4th of July

That Was The Week That Was

Here… • I didn’t dislike the new college rankings from MONEY magazine, but as I considered how Bethel and other Christian colleges fared, I remained convinced that “no system that needs to rank public institutions and avowedly secular private ones is going to properly assess the value of Christian colleges and universities.” • We reached the 100th anniversary of the … More That Was The Week That Was

How Many Christians Are Martyred Each Year?

When I wrote a piece on religious persecution for All Saint’s Sunday, I pointed to some specific examples of Christians — and non-Christians — whose religious beliefs and practices put them at significant risk. I think it’s a serious problem, and plan to devote more attention than usual to religious freedom in my Human Rights … More How Many Christians Are Martyred Each Year?