Dec 14, 2021Equality of Opportunity and Equality of OutcomeHow to harmonize two undesirable ideals — The political back-and-forth on Twitter between self-identified proponents of “the left” and “the right” regularly revolves around the issue of equality in society. These conversations more often than not degenerate into shouting matches about caricatures of each other’s definition of equality. The two main forms of equality operative in these…Equality7 min read
Nov 22, 2021What Snow White Teaches About the Pursuit of BeautyWe’ve all known the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs since childhood, but have we learned its lessons? The story starts with Snow White, a pretty princess named for her stark white skin that contrasts sharply with her charcoal dark locks. Snow White’s stepmother, the Queen, is an…Beauty3 min read
Published in The Jesus Life·Mar 26, 2021How to Live in the Tension between Inclusion and JusticeOr, more traditionally, between love and judgement — Inclusion and justice are two buzzwords that probably deserve to be so. They reflect two virtuous impulses: the desire for all to share in ‘the good life’, and the desire to see good triumph over evil. Or, in more traditional language: an unconditional love for people, and a longing for…Justice7 min read
Dec 29, 2020Mijn tranen op een Koerdische trouwBruiloften in het Midden-Oosten zijn meestal heel anders dan hun West-Europese tegenhangers. De bruiloft van vandaag was dat nog veel meer. Hoewel, onze vriendin droeg wel een oogverblindend witte jurk. En er werd ook wel gedanst en gegeten, met een fotograaf aanwezig om alles vast te leggen. Tot dusver klinkt…Nederlands3 min read
Dec 28, 2020My Tears at a Kurdish WeddingWeddings in the Middle East tend to be quite different from their Western European counterparts. Today’s wedding was even more so. Still, my friend did wear a dazzling white dress. And there was dancing and food and a photographer to capture it all. So far, so familiar. The location, however…Middle East3 min read
Published in Het Jezusleven·Nov 12, 2020Niemand is immuun voor samenzweringstheorieënHoe kunnen we daarmee omgaan? — De aarde is plat. De maanlanding heeft nooit plaatsgevonden. Er zijn buitenaardse wezens in Area 51. Helaas worden deze feiten voor ons verborgen gehouden door de verschillende regeringen van de wereld om hun duistere doelen na te streven. … Of zo zegt men. Dit zijn klassieke voorbeelden van samenzweringstheorieën. Wat…Jezus5 min read
Published in The Jesus Life·Nov 10, 2020Nobody is Immune to Conspiracy TheoriesHow can we deal with that? — The earth is flat. The moon landing did not happen. There are aliens in Area 51. Unfortunately, these facts are concealed from us by the various governments of the world to advance their dark purposes. … Or so it is said. These are classic examples of conspiracy theories. What makes…Jesus5 min read
Published in The Jesus Life·Aug 25, 2020Which Lives Matter to Jesus?Black lives or all lives? — A few weeks ago, half of my Facebook feed was emphatically shouting that black lives matter. The other half was equally emphatically shouting that all lives matter. So which is it? Who is right? As a follower of Jesus, I try to look to him for wisdom. …Jesus2 min read
Published in The Jesus Life·Aug 15, 2020Reconsidering the Spiritual in the WestAn historical, scientific, philosophical and theological long-read — Consider the following quote by a very influential 18th century philosopher: It forms a strong presumption against all supernatural and miraculous relations, that they are observed chiefly to abound among ignorant and barbarous nations; or if a civilized people has ever given admission to any of them, that people will…Jesus50 min read
Published in Het Jezusleven·Apr 18, 2020Jezus en het postchristelijke WestenWil Jezus dat je je samenleving herovert, dat je je eraan aanpast, of dat je je terugtrekt? — Jezus is geweldig. Er is geen twijfel mogelijk. De meeste mensen die de verslagen van zijn leven lezen zijn het hier mee eens. En ondanks wat het moderne secularisme ons doet geloven, beweerde Jezus relevant te zijn voor meer dan alleen het privéleven van mensen. Dus hoe stelt Jezus voor…Jezus7 min read
