Category Archives: The Joshua Challenge
Six Graphs and Six New Year Reflections
Graph 1 – The two main political parties in America exhibit near equal distain for each other. Extreme partisanship amplifies this polarization even further. It’s worth spending time considering these data. Only 8% of Republicans believe Democrats are honest and … Continue reading
On George Washington’s “First Essential in a Man”
After 57 years of living in Juneau with its limited road system, Tammy and I still enjoy driving, putting over 35K total miles a year on our two vehicles, a pace we maintained even during covid. Most of those miles … Continue reading
“Truly He Taught Us to Love One Another”
The British geneticist and evolutionary biologist Haldane once famously said: “I would gladly lay down my life for two brothers or eight cousins.” Haldane’s quip follows from a selfish gene’s cost/benefit analysis, calculated from the odds of gene sustainability given … Continue reading
Respect for Marriage Act and The New Sola’s of the “Faith”
The U.S. Senate recently passed the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) creating a raging fire storm across Christian Twitter. Much of the incoming targeted David French, an evangelical center-right commentator and one I often quote in this blog. French began … Continue reading
Modeling Christian Public Discourse
“All models are wrong, but some are useful” – British statistician George Box I first ran across this famous quote early in my science career while writing my thesis on the effects of habitat variation on recruitment of pink salmon … Continue reading
We Can Make a Difference
In the world of “believe it or not,” the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) recently rejected a statement condemning “the destruction of property and the infliction of bodily violence against political opponents.” Yep, you heard this right. A statement condemning … Continue reading
The Rise of the Nones
Have you ever heard of the nones? They are one of the latest hot topics in the area of faith and culture. Nones, or people who check “none” or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religious affiliation, once comprised … Continue reading
The Manifold World of Biblical Values
In my last post I introduced a fascinating debate occurring on the center right about strategies of public engagement given a perceived change in the standing of Christianity in American society. At the center of this debate are a series … Continue reading
The Sin of Winsomeness
I still remember the phone call which launched one of the key changepoints of my life. It was October 2002 and I was sitting along mom’s bedside in a Wisconsin intensive care facility. Dad was next door, still in intensive … Continue reading
To Do or Not to Do is Not the Question
We’ve all heard the venerable proverb “actions speak louder than words.” It’s often attributed to Abraham Lincoln who said those exact words in 1856. But the general sense of this phrase has shown up in one form or another throughout … Continue reading