Archive for December, 2007
Immigration and Christian Faith
Monday, December 31st, 2007Sitting before a nativity scene in her home, the Tennessee state representative explained a tough new law to a television reporter. It’s designed to make employers identify illegal immigrants and send them packing, she said, oblivious to the irony of the setting.
The nativity is a story of displacement and immigration. It’s a refugee story. Joseph [...]
Conflict Sells, Especially Religious Conflict
Friday, December 28th, 2007Conflict sells. Religious conflict has been a consistent way to frame religion by major media in the U.S. and globally for the past decade, and it’s sold magazines and newspapers and created an image of religious faith as a battleground.
There was a time when media were virtually clueless about religion. Sometimes I think they are [...]
Tropical Virus in Europe
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007The occurrence of a tropical virus in Italy raises questions not only about the effects of global warming, it also demonstrates yet again that diseases are not restricted by geography. Tiger mosquitoes migrating from tropical Africa carried the the parasite chikungunya, a relative of dengue fever, to Europe.Similar mosquito migration into higher elevations has introduced [...]
Health Care is a Universal Need
Thursday, December 13th, 2007After hearing from 114 Filipino clergy and laypersons the past 10 days a common theme emerged. Everyone needs access to health care and the older we get, the more urgently we need it.
We were in the Philippines to hear from retirees about their pension plans butpensions are not the only thing on their minds. Pension [...]
Street Children in Manila
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007Walking near Rizal Park in central Manila I passed three street children sitting on the sidewalk. Separated from a beautiful, manicured golf course by a chain link fence, they were sniffing glue.
These three boys looked to be around 12-years-old. They were dirty, barefoot and dressed in worn-out, tattered ragamuffin clothing. My presence nearby was of [...]
AIDS VS. Malaria?
Saturday, December 1st, 2007An interesting, frustrating debate is going on among a few concerned folks in The United Methodist Church about AIDS and malaria. The concern is that by giving attention to malaria AIDS is being neglected. In addition, the claim was made recently that malaria is an easier disease to attack, carries no stigma as AIDS, and [...]