Uncategorized

1196 RESULTS

Sep 1, 2004

Topics:

Westernization or clash of civilizations?

As the Cold War was coming to an end in 1989, Francis Fukuyama, then an official with the US State Department, published a ground-breaking article, “The End of History”. Fukuyama’s thesis is only the most recent manifestation of the general belief that history not only has a purposeful character, but at some point will reach its final consummation, a notion owing much to Christian eschatology, albeit in secularized form.

Sep 1, 2004

Topics:

Life’s Big Questions: What’s Wrong with the World?

One of the most popular questions I have come across on campus from both struggling Christians and skeptical non-Christians is why does a good and all-powerful God allow so much evil and suffering in the world? The very fact that the question is posed shows the almost universal consensus that something is very wrong with the world and that evil and suffering is somehow not the way it is supposed to be.

Aug 1, 2004

Topics:

Of Presidents and Public Faith

The recent death of Ronald Reagan and the publication of Bill Clinton’s memoirs provide occasion to consider the relationship between faith and public life. Both of these men, though vastly different, had notable similarities. Perhaps the most interesting similarity with contrast is the fact that both men had a very private, interior faith.

Aug 1, 2004

Topics:

New Wine into Old Skins

In my last article, I said guilds could be the vanguard of a new civil society. Valiant words, but there are significant obstacles to overcome before we see any progress. Moreover, all the examples of functioning guilds that I have used so far have one thing in common: they are not in Canada. The question then arises, can guilds can ever take hold in Canada? If so, how?

Aug 1, 2004

Topics:

Life’s Big Questions: Where Am I?

In 1967, historian Lynn White Jr. published a provocative article titled, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis” (Science, 155, March 10, 1967), which suggested that Christianity, especially the command in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth,” (NRSV) was responsible for our current environmental crisis.

Jun 1, 2004

Topics:

A New Ethos of Craft and Beauty?

Last month, I examined the first of two recently published books heralding a major shift in our economy and culture: Virginia Postrel’s The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (HarperCollins, 2003). This month, the spotlight is on Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class and How it’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life.

Jun 1, 2004

Topics:

The Value of Values-Talk

Values talk is in. Ever since Enron, business leaders trip over themselves to ensure that values are more prominent in their materials. Political leaders sell their program on the appeal of the values they represent. Feature stories highlight successful business people who adjust careers in order to find balance in life, or work for a cause rather than for a profit.

Jun 1, 2004

Topics:

When A Deal Isn’t a Deal

“The reality is that our health system has been on a fast track to collapse. We’ve got to get the situation under control so we can meet the needs of the patients and the needs of the people of British Columbia.” So said British Columbia Minister of Labour Graham Bruce in early 2002 as his government asked the legislature to pass the controversial Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act.