Latest Posts

May 27, 2005

WARC wackiness

Contained in this year’s Christian Reformed Church 2005 Agenda for Synod, which will be held June 11-18, is a report from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches recent General Council in Accra, Ghana (pp. Continue Reading...
May 27, 2005

A death dealing global economy?

The approaching G8 summit in Scotland has led the World Council of Churches to renew its call for a debt-free world. That is, debt-free if you are one of those developing nations that have been victimized by “increasingly unconscionable levels of inequity,” according to Rev. Continue Reading...
May 26, 2005

Those progressive conservatives

Very often in political discourse, the labels liberal/progressive are juxtaposed with conservative/traditional (or variants thereof). But there are numerous instances where these terms become misleading, not only due to various connotations associated with them, but because the denotation of each word may not adequately describe the position on either side. Continue Reading...
May 26, 2005

Celebrating chimeras

Here’s a different, deeply flawed, and downright chilling take on the creation of genetic chimeras: David P. Barash, professor of psychology at the University of Washington, welcomes them as a sign of the “continuity” between humans and other creatures. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2005

A new New History Textbook

Following up on my post yesterday about the controversial Japanese history textbook that glosses over Japan’s past wartime aggressions, a new textbook is almost complete which will act as a supplement to current Japanese history textbooks with a much more complete picture of what happened around the time of World War II. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2005

Of mice and men: What it means to be human

Jordan Ballor writes about the ethical and moral implications of creating genetic chimeras. Ballor comments on a recent New York Times editorial promoting chimera research, calling their thinking “scientific pragmatism” and criticizing the general lack of understanding of both human nature and anthropology. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2005

Sources of African poverty

This Tech Central Station article, “Saving Africa,” puts some figures in perspective, citing the reason for the poverty of African nations: “Africa is poor because most countries in the region lack the fundamental elements of a capitalist system: property rights, free markets, free trade and the rule of law.” Continue Reading...
May 25, 2005

Human rights in Cuba

Emerging signs of renewed democratic action in Cuba prompted this Wall Street Journal editorial today (subscription required), which calls for the Organization of American States to “do far more to support Cuban democrats.” Continue Reading...
May 24, 2005

The New History Textbook

Japan’s wartime atrocities have long been a source of tension and anger among various east Asian nations. Failure to admit guilt and continued veneration of wartime “heroes,” many of whom are convicted war-criminals, cause diplomatic stress between nations even today. Continue Reading...