René Girard was a Christian anthropologist, whose insights about the ways communities operate shed light on the persecution of minorities. Why do majority communities in certain parts of the world choose to spend time and resources harassing minority communities that do not threaten them? There are a variety of different explanations, but I think Girard has one of the best. Some would argue that minority pe ...

I was, and still am, a big fan of the Aladdin story. In various tellings and different versions it delivers a sense of exotic intrigue, along with a very imminent sense of the unlimited potential that we all have. Aladdin is poor and disadvantaged – and yet he rapidly approaches the highest levels of power and possibility. In the films, as Aladdin has his opportunity to make it big, he struggles with self-d ...

As a Christian in politics, people often ask me how my religion and my politics fit together. Some people say that faith should not mix with politics. But I believe that all people in politics are influenced by their basic beliefs, whether or not they are religious. There’s some advantage to speaking about that reality openly. My foundational ‎assumptions about right and wrong are shaped by what might be ca ...

I was very saddened to learn of yet another attack on the Egyptian Christian community. Seven Egyptian Christian pilgrims were recently killed while travelling to the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor. Meanwhile, the case of Asia Bibi is in the news again. She has been acquitted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court, but faces continuing potential difficulties as a result of violent protests calling for her dea ...