A few weeks ago I was in the beautiful city of Zurich, Switzerland. A city and country that has provided refuge for groups fleeing various forms of persecution and distress. While there we visited a museum dedicated to the Polish community that has found Switzerland a place of invitation and hospitality during periods of great… Read More Why is it so Difficult to Create Space for Others?
From the Holy Mountain. Yesterday I mentioned in my post a book by William Dalrymple, From the Holy Mountain. You can order it at the link through worldchristian.com
Where was the first Christian church building, probably in 180 C.E.? Where was the first place outside of Antioch that Christian missionaries were sent out to the east? Where were two of the first Asian Christian theologians based, Bardaisan and Tatian? Where was the first Christian theological college/university, near to the year 200 C.E.? The… Read More Where Have All the Christians Gone?
Moving beyond suspicion, Muslims and Evangelicals seek common ground.
Two events gripped my attention this last week. First the news on Wednesday that according to the United Nations population division in its 2015 report, India will match and pass China in overall population six years earlier than previously thought. Instead of it happening in 2028, it will more likely be in 2022. At that… Read More Will India be a Model of Unity in Diversity in the 21st Century?
A powerful heartfelt response to Franklin Graham’s comments last week. Marilyn R. Gardner Dear Mr. Graham, I’d like to introduce you to some friends of mine. The first friend is Golnaz. Golnaz is a bright and beautiful young woman from Iran. My husband first met her while working on a project at Harvard University. It… Read More Dear Mr. Graham, Let me Introduce you to Some Friends….
In 2013 a newly elected Pope Francis, responding to the rising concern about Christian refugees leaving the Middle East in the wake of persecution, made this comment, “The Vatican will not resign itself to a Middle East without Christians.” Since that time those leaving from areas like Northern Iraq and Syria has only been on… Read More A Middle East Without Christians? A USA/Europe Without Muslims?
This week I received the good news from Regnum Press that my proposal to revise and publish my thesis as a book has been accepted! I now have a contract and start the long and winding road of revision. After a sometimes tortuous odyssey that resulted in a thesis of 275 pages and 102,000 words,… Read More From Thesis to Book: The Journey Begins
An important issue in our world today relates to religious identity and belonging. The boundaries or categories that perhaps used to be fixed and inflexible are now more porous and yielding. For some there are even multiple religious loyalties. What at one time was easily understandable is now much more complex. I have friends, as… Read More Religious identity, belonging and conversion
“The Jihad of Jesus” by Dave Andrews I turned on the television the other day to hear a Christian American say: “Our enemy is Islam and our enemies are Muslims!” Disturbed by his tone, I shifted to my computer, where I opened the Internet only to see an equally alarming message from a British Muslim:…
An Invitation to Pause, Encounter & Grow Together.
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learning life and leadership in Thailand
Our Journey Into Justice, Compassion, and Action
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Thoughts From a Resident Alien
COMMUNICATING ACROSS BOUNDARIES
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Encounters of Faith in Asia: Past, Present and Future 