Culture Wars

Evangelicals’ Image Problem.  God should have sued Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson for defamation, says New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.  “Few words conjure as much distaste in liberal circles as ‘evangelical Christian,’” he writes.  So why does he sing evangelicals’ praises?  (Short op-ed)

Gay Mayor, Christians in Surprising Alliance.  Portland, Oregon, mayor Sam Adams gets “calls from mayors of liberal cities all across the United States asking me if I’ve been abducted by aliens.”  He tells them the churches and the city really do cooperate in social services and that “we’re better for it.”  (Short op-ed)

When Ted Kennedy Met Jerry Falwell.  When the lion of liberalism met the Moral Majority founder, some surprising, humorous, and positive things happened.  Insights on bridge building that could well inform today’s rancorous debates.  (Short op-ed)

Civil Discourse?  Tired of TV talking heads yelling at each other?  Exhausted/disgusted with debates and discussions that become food fights?  Lanny Davis, President Bill Clinton’s Special Counsel, has written an important book with sound advice for putting the “civil” back into “civil discourse.”  (Short op-ed)

Civil Discourse?  Tired of TV talking heads yelling at each other?  Exhausted/disgusted with debates and discussions that become food fights?  Consider inspiring stories of risk-takers who build bridges of understanding and communication across philosophical, political and religious lines.  Practical examples to help inform your own interaction with those with whom you differ.  (Probe radio series transcript.)

Is Anyone Listening?  Ever feel like you’re talking to a brick wall?  Conversation has been defined as “a vocal competition in which the one who is catching his breath is called the listener.”  A fun look at listening’s merits.  (Short op-ed)

Religious Right: Blinded by Might?  A look at a controversial book that warns of power’s seduction.  (Short op-ed)

Choosing Abortion.  When I met her at a media convention, she seemed so vibrant and alive, full of zest and eager to interact, an attractive woman with a bright smile and sparkling eyes.  I would not have guessed the emotional anguish and physical torment that lay in her past.  Gut wrenching stuff. (Short op-ed)

India’s Missing Girls and the Right to Choose, by Rusty Wright and Meg Korpi, PhD. Female infanticide and feticide in India’s patriarchal culture stir passions for equality and fairness but raise troubling questions.  Does favoring a woman’s right to choose logically imply that one supports her right to terminate a fetus simply because it is female? (Short op-ed)