John G. Stackhouse Jr.'s Blog, page 32

Knowing or Trusting? Which Would You Prefer?

In the recent Academy Award-winning movie Arrival, one character asks another a compelling question: If you could see your whole life laid out in front of you, would you make different choices? Being able to see the future, or to go … Continued

Fighting Our Phobias

While the U. S. President continues to wrestle with the American judiciary over whether people wanting to enter the United States can and should face religious screening—this morning’s story is of Muhammad Ali’s son, an American citizen, being asked at a … Continued

Did God Choose President Trump?

ICYMI on my blog for “Context with Lorna Dueck”: The inauguration of President Donald Trump was replete with prayers, scripture readings, exhortations, and benedictions by clergy from various Christian denominations and other religions besides. But the question remains: Did God … Continued

Successful–or Merely Popular?

The new season of “Black Mirror,” a “Twilight Zone” TV program now produced by Netflix, opens with an episode nicely terrifying for our Facebook/Twitter/Instagram times. Starring the adorable Bryce Dallas Howard, the show depicts a near-future dystopia in which everyone and everything … Continued

Milo, Maher, and Muck

I have never watched Bill Maher’s show in my life. I’ve seen clips of it, and of him guesting on other people’s shows, and there’s been little there to attract my interest. He seems a clever man—clever enough to make … Continued

Wisdom from Bonhoeffer…for Everyone, Not Just Someone Else

I am conducting a seminar this semester on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s great work, Ethics. In preparing for a class next week, I came across a passage that so arrested me I thought I would set it out here. It’s long, even … Continued

Tolerance for Diversity Breaks Out at McGill

[This column was originally posted on “Context with Lorna Dueck” six months ago. Alas, the issues remain live all over the continent.] It’s a “man decides not to bite dog” story. The Montreal Gazette reports that the judicial board of … Continued

God Confirmed Missing in Canadian Public Discourse: The Assisted-Suicide Debate

As Canada has begun a new era of officially sanctioned, physician-assisted suicide, one is struck by the almost complete absence of a phrase that, only a generation ago, would have figured largely in the debate: “playing God.” The traditional argument against … Continued

Just Two Is Just Fine [Re-post]

The following lightly edited re-post comes from my book, Church: An Insider’s Look at How We Do It. Strangely enough, this book has sold the fewest copies of any of my books, even though its bite-sized chapters, reading much like a … Continued

Beware the Power of “Story”

[The following is another post originally up in slightly different form at “Context with Lorna Dueck.”] “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” Well, let’s see. Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive … Continued