Justiça pública: Brazil

On saturday, 21 March, I was privileged to address remotely a network of Christian professionals engaged in public life in Brazil. This was under the auspices of Justiça Pública, a new organization established "To promote public justice for all Brazilians through a faithful, courageous, and constructive Christian presence in the public sphere." One of the inspirations behind this effort is the 49-year-old Center for Public Justice, on whose board of trustees I currently serve. Here is a description from an electronic English-language brochure I received last year:

Justiça Pública is a nonpartisan Christian think tank that develops leadership, conducts research, and proposes a constructive way of doing politics in Brazil.

Brazil is undergoing a profound demographic transformation, with the rapid growth of evangelicals, while at the same time facing a crisis in its political practices—marked by radicalism, polarization, and constructive paralysis [sic]. In this context, God has called us to propose an alternative: a long-term vision built by Christians with genuine commitment to the faith, above and beyond any ideology.

Should Christians be leftists? A review

Phil Christman. Why Christians Should Be Leftists. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2025. 174 pages. ISBN 978-0-8028-8405-3.

The best that can be said of this book is that the author is preaching to the choir. Phil Christman is a follower of Jesus Christ who has come to see himself as a political leftist and is now evangelizing for the cause. However, given his general approach, he is unlikely to persuade anyone not already onside.

Christman claims that “my Christianity has led me out of conservatism, past liberalism, to the left” (12). What does this leftism consist of? Support for “massive redistribution of wealth (either through alms or taxes), the right of marginalized communities and exploited nations to self-defense, a much-lessened emphasis on punishment-for-its-own-sake and on revenge and a much greater emphasis on harm reduction in our systems of punishment, an abhorrence of war, and an avoidance of the hoarding of wealth and power” (15-16). Christman spends the rest of the book unpacking this collection of priorities.

A new book for Christian scholars: Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives

Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives: two tributes

As I mentioned in a previous post, this newly published volume, Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives, is a tribute to my great friend, former colleague, and even one-time instructor, Al Wolters. His classic book, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, has been an influential introduction to a general approach to life anchored in the orderly possibilities God has built into his creation and in the scriptures which illuminate the path before us as we fulfil our respective callings. Our reformational philosophy discussion group, to whom this new anthology is dedicated, aspired to flesh out the implications of Wolters' insights for the several academic disciplines, including the highly theoretical and the more concrete and practical. This book is thus a tribute to Wolters' life and work.

Yesterday I was privileged to present to Wolters his copy of this book.

Recent activities for March 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for March 2026 is now posted for your reading pleasure. Included are a speaking engagement in eastern Kentucky, a Brazilian podcast on the subject of two of my books, two commentaries on Iran, and a long-gestating anthology in honour of my great friend and former colleague Al Wolters. Thank you for your continuing support for my work!

Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives: table of contents

I now have my own copy of this anthology:

Iran's uncertain future

Christian Courier has published my article, Iran's uncertain future. An excerpt:

Iran has had an outsized influence in the Middle East since ancient times. The Persian empire figures prominently in several books of the Old Testament, primarily because of King Cyrus’ role in permitting the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Since then several dynasties have ruled Persia, extending their influence throughout the region. Iranian languages are spoken, not only in Iran proper, but in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Even the Ottoman Turks adopted elements of Persian culture, which carried considerable prestige and conferred legitimacy on their rule.

Read here for more.

Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives

I am pleased to report that a new book has been published to which I and several other authors contributed chapters. It's called Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives, edited by my good friend and former colleague, Russell D. Kosits and published by Dordt Press. The anthology is inspired by Albert M. Wolters' classic book, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview (Eerdmans, 2005), which has been used profitably in a variety of settings since it was first published just over four decades ago. Here is the description from the amazon.com page:

Iran's troubled past and present

As an undergraduate student in the mid 1970s I was taking a course at the University of Minnesota and one day happened upon a demonstration by what I assumed were Iranian students against the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had occupied the Peacock Throne since 1941. 

The Shah was responsible for something called the White Revolution, a top-down effort to modernize the country, bringing it into the 20th century and making it a great regional power. In pursuing this policy, he was following the examples of Peter the Great in early 18th-century Russia and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in interwar Turkey. Closely allied with the western powers, the Shah was restored to his throne by the US and the UK in 1953 after having fled the country in a dispute with Iran's parliament. Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh had nationalized the oil industry with parliament's support to the displeasure of the British interests that had controlled it. Once the Shah had returned to power, he centralized rule in his own hands. A secret police force, SAVAK, was the most brutal instrument of his rule, effectively alienating many Iranians, especially those of a more traditional bent.

Apologética cristã interview/entrevista

Last month I was interviewed by Gabriel Ennes for his Apologética cristã podcast. The conversation was in English. Although I am by no means fluent in Portuguese, I am coming to recognize the different accents and dialects from the different parts of Brazil. From his speech I could tell that Ennes is a Carioca. Indeed, I subsequently learned that Ennes lives in Petropolis, a city located north of Rio de Janeiro. His accent betrays his origins.