19 Aug 2014

Love Thy (Illegal) Neighbor

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Lev 19:33-34)1 Last time, I covered approaching the topic of illegal immigration (specifically the recent surge of unaccompanied minors across the U.S.-Mexico border) with

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05 Aug 2014

On Interior Design and the Border Crisis

I recently decided two things. First, oil-based paint truly scales the great heights of human devilry. Second, if I’m right about that, then the mindset of fear surrounding the surge of foreign unaccompanied minors across the U.S.-Mexican border dances on the very pinnacle. I know that sounds like a non sequitur, but stick with me. My wife and I just bought a house, and it fell to me to repaint the hideous interior. After a

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29 Jul 2014

Be Warned, Anti-Semitism is Rising

Several weeks ago, on Saturday, a couple of hashtags that expressed admiration for Hitler and his Jewish genocide were trending on Twitter, including #HitlerWasRight and #HitlerDidNothingWrong.1 These expressions are not limited to the internet; they are also being heard in public, with demonstrators in Paris vandalizing property and chanting, “Death to Jews,” and, “Hitler was right.”2 Right now there are many who are upset over Israel’s ground war against Gaza, but in this anger hatred

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28 Jul 2014

Writing as an Act of Charity

The newsfeed on Facebook (or any social media) is a troubling place. News of bombed planes, war in Gaza, murdered clergymen, and school shootings have all claimed prominent space over the past couple months as I scroll through my newsfeed. To quite literally add insult to injury, people post and comment on Facebook in a degrading, self-righteous, and outright obnoxious manner. Most people accompany the news of violence in the world with violence in their

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14 Jul 2014

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

My last article was published on the same day as the SCOTUS ruling on the Hobby Lobby case. In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that for-profit corporations, including Hobby Lobby, are not required to provide coverage on contraception and abortifacients if these violate their religious beliefs. (Let us focus here on the fact that Hobby Lobby was opposed to abortifacients, not preventative contraceptives; the Green family accepted 16 out of 20 contraceptive

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23 Jun 2014

Brand Management: Polo and the Cross

This fall I will be a senior at Wake Forest University—a private school located in Winston-Salem, NC, which is characterized by beautiful people, pretty clothes, stunning architecture, and high tuition.  Looking around at the majority of the students, a newcomer will no doubt recognize the upper middle class clothing that appears on the student body; Sperrys, button downs, khaki shorts, sun dresses, and the brands of Southern Tide, Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines, Nike, and Polo.

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19 Jun 2014

Who is my Neighbor?

“The problem of acceptance with regard to other religions is closely related to the problem of the acceptance of diversity within the House of Islam itself.”1  The preceding quote by Vincent Cornell, one of the West’s most prolific scholars of Islam, is one I’ve been pondering since first coming across it, precisely because this sentiment is just as relevant for Christians as it for Muslims.  It is no coincidence that the very Christians who treat

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17 Jun 2014

A Reality Check

How many of you realize that the country has changed? The state of our nation is in continual motion and experiences a constant flow of variation, but there has been a stronger shift in our society than what is typical; these are more than mere adjustments, they are changes. Governmental authority has increased and with it a startling lack of ethics. Finances, property, food, family, education, and health have all been the victims of greater

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16 Jun 2014

How Then Shall We Speak?

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen R. Covey As the above quote from Stephen Covey notes, far too often “dialogue” consists of hearing the perspectives of others not so that we may understand them, but in order that we may show them where they are wrong. This is especially obvious on the internet, where 140 character Twitter interaction, sound-bite news, rhetoric-oriented politics,#hashtagactivism,

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16 Jun 2014

#YesAllWomen and the Failures of Modern Feminism

Modern feminism has failed. I proclaim this as a modern woman: I will soon graduate with a master’s degree, I am training to become a half-marathoner, and my fiancé and I make our major decisions together. My gender has never prevented me from education, sport, ownership, or participation. I owe a large debt to the men and women of the early twentieth century feminism, who fought for my right to vote, who petitioned for Title

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16 Jun 2014

What the Church Can Learn From Heavy Metal

With America still reeling from the recent Isla Vista killings, the blogosphere has since exploded with a smorgasbord of theories about what led to the carnage. I certainly do not wish to opine any further on this matter, however, one of the responses to that event – “We Created Elliot Rogers” posted at Ethika Politika – does offer a pertinent example for what I do want to discuss here.[1] The article’s author, Elisabeth Cervantes, moves

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16 Jun 2014

Capitalism and Christianity: What Should We Render to Caesar?

Under capitalism, the Darwinian “survival of the fittest” philosophy reigns supreme. The goal is to make a profit, and the people who act fastest, smartest, and savviest are the ones who deserve to make that profit and reap the financial awards that society has to offer. If you’re “fit” you are entitled to a good life, in the materialistic sense, because you have the ability to carry yourself to the top of the ladder; if

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16 Jun 2014

Business as Usual

Manufacturing Costs=DM + DL + MOH The above equation is one of the important formulas learned within Accounting 221, one of the required courses all business majors at Wake Forest University take. Here we learn how to do internal accounting, making sure the business knows what costs make up its operations, thus being able to use that data in order to cut costs in the future. In this formula calculating the manufacturing costs that comprise

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16 Jun 2014

Before Christians Talk Politics…

Politics is a dirty word. Many associate it with backroom deals, slander, and doublespeak. It is easy to be disrespectful of our elected officials, but this is not in accordance with the Word of God. Consider the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 13: 1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth

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