Raskolnikov and Resurrection

Christian Courier has just posted my April column: Raskolnikov and Resurrection, with this subtitle: "The greatest of literature points us to the One who was raised from the dead that we too might live eternally." Here is an excerpt:

Many years ago, when I was still a graduate student, I decided to read some of the major Russian novels of the 19th and 20th centuries. It’s taken me decades, but I finally got to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (1866). The story is set in the imperial capital of St. Petersburg. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov has recently abandoned his university studies and is living hand to mouth in a rented room. Intellectually gifted, he is subject to frequent bouts of fever and depression.

Read the entire article here.

Nationalism: the need to belong

My series with the Politics Network of UCCF: The Christian Unions in the United Kingdom continues with this piece: Nationalism: the need to belong. An excerpt:

In principle we can recognize the legitimacy of national communities, however we define them. However, it is possible to make too much of our nation. And when we do so, we run the risk of idolizing it, thereby embracing nationalism as an ideology. In Cyprus, the partisans of enosis, or union with Greece, were so persuaded of their cause that they were willing to sacrifice the lives of those who stood in their way, including Turkish Cypriots and the less persuaded Greek Cypriots. Because their efforts led eventually to my paternal relatives losing their homes and becoming refugees in their own country, I have long been exceedingly wary of even a hint of nationalism, especially the ethnic variety. I dislike seeing the flag of Greece flying outside Orthodox church buildings in Cyprus because it represents a cause that disturbed the peace of the island and uprooted its people.

The series continues with a piece on democratism in June and concludes with one on post-liberalism in July.

April newsletter posted

I have just posted my April newsletter, with links to a wonderful Lutheran resurrection hymn, a revised table of contents for my next book, the 20th anniversary of this blog, and a new way for Canadians to contribute financially to my work.

The office of citizen

I have written a monthly column for Christian Courier since 1990. The latest instalment has been posted: The office of citizen. Here is a brief excerpt:

As God has created us in his image, he calls us to a variety of authoritative offices related to the various differentiated communities of which we are part. One of these is citizenship in our respective political communities. I myself was born an American citizen, although in adulthood I took an oath to our late Queen, her heirs, and successors and became a Canadian citizen.

Because citizenship is such an important office, with implications for us and our neighbours, we Christians ought to reflect on the obligations it imposes on us.

Read the entire article here.