From the gospel accounts, Jesus was a fierce critic of the economic injustices of his day, demanding within his Jewish tradition a radical redistribution of wealth and a recommitment to Israelite teachings about caring for one another. That was his point…
Category: Religion
Was Jesus a Zealot?
Christianity’s Contradictions on War
The Moral Imperative of Activism
Would Jesus Drop the Nagasaki Bomb?
Zionism’s Lost Shine
Secretary of State John Kerry got an agreement for renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks, but Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence that Israel not only keep much of the Occupied Territories but be formally recognized as a Jewish state precludes a just resolution…
How Israel Alienates Arab Citizens
A key founding principle of the United States was that a secular government would protect the religious freedoms of all groups. But Israel’s insistence on a Jewish state that systematically discriminates against Arabs has drawn America down a different path, as…
Would Jesus Love Ayn Rand Economics?
Many on the American Right say they’re strong Christians, but have bought into Ayn Rand economics which disdains government help for the poor and needy. Other Christians, like Sojourners’ Jim Wallis, see Jesus’s teachings enshrined in the Constitution’s commitment to…
Finding ‘Salvation’ in ‘Shalom’
Christian churches have convinced many believers that “salvation” only exists in the afterlife. But a truer understanding of the word and its synonym “shalom” reveals them to be messages calling for the present world to become a place of human fulfillment,…
Selective Definition of ‘Terrorism’
Terrorism once had an objective meaning: an act of violence against civilians to achieve a political goal. But it’s since been transformed into a bigoted curse word aimed broadly at Muslims, while rarely applied to politically motivated violence by other…