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Recent Posts
- Seeing “Through a Glass Darkly:” Imagine If the Apostle James Walked Among Us
- Seeing “Through a Glass Darkly;” How Basil and Gregory of Nyssa Changed the World
- Seeing “Through a Glass Darkly:” Reflections on Jonah as a Mirror for the Church and Life
- Reflections “Through a Glass Darkly” – On Jesus’ Third Temptation
- 95 Theses For the 2026 American Church
Tag Archives: Tribalism
No Kings: When Conservative Values Demand Protest
Someone on Facebook posted this week, “Excuse me… but… the idiocy of the far left with their No King demonstrations… there could be no demonstrations if a King truly was in power… just saying’…” One of his Facebook friends then … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged Declaration of Independence, No Kings, Rule of Law, Tribalism, Trump
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A Story of Compasses
It’s a strange thing to get lost while using a compass. But it happens all the time. Perhaps we don’t trust what the compass is telling us. It’s needle points in a direction that just feels wrong. Or it’s because … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged Christlikeness, culture wars, Good Samaritan, immigration, love of neighbor, Micah 6:8, Tribalism, Trump, USAID
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“For They Know Not What They [We] Are Doing”
In the midst of Jesus’ suffering, when others would have cried out in anger, He offered His persecutors a prayer of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” The first part of Jesus’ statement … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged believers, belonging, group identity, Tribalism
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The Indispensable Imperative of Virtue
“Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character” – Albert Einstein So begins the opening line of a leadership paper a former colleague Doug DeMaster and I wrote a … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged culture wars, Evangelicals, Tribalism, truth
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Wide is the Gate and Broad is the Way
“We don’t collect news to inform us. We collect news to affirm us.” – Frank Lutz, Republican pollster Frank’s observation isn’t new, of course. Centuries ago, Goethe said “each see in the world what is present in their heart.” But it’s … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged culture wars, Evangelicals, Tribalism, truth
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Of Soldiers and Scouts
The late Richard Feynman, one of the great scientists of the 20th century and a notable influence in my physics education, once said “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged correspondence, covid vaccine, culture wars, Tribalism, truth
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We Amplify What We Fear
“Fear’s a dangerous thing, it can turn your heart black, you can trust.It’ll take your God-filled soul and fill it with devils and dust.” – Bruce Springsteen I can still vividly remember sitting at the front of church Sunday after … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged disunity, Evangelicals, fear, reconciliation, Tribalism
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Of Rabbit Holes and Echo Chambers
A simple corrective for reducing the influence of tribally induced rabbit holes and echo chambers Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged cognitive biases, populism, post-election lawsuits, rabbit holes, Tribalism
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We’ve Come a Long Way Baby
“I often tell my mom, ‘You guys won an election, but you just lost a generation.’” She adds, “It’s not like they’re all becoming progressives. They’re just leaving the church.” – Carol Howard Merritt Michael Brown, in his response to … Continue reading
Posted in The Joshua Challenge
Tagged 2020 election, Character, Evangelicals, Tribalism, Trump
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