A reporter for the LA Times looks at how the stories he covered affected him and his spiritual journey. William Lobdell relates how he went from enthusiastic believer to despair over the actions of the leaders and members of churches, especially as they covered up sex abuse by clergy.
Earlier this year, 17 prominent evangelical leaders and scholars issued “An Evangelical Declaration Against Torture: Protecting Human Rights in an Age of Terror.” As Peter Steinfels of the New York Times notes, while the document received a great deal of attention when issued, it has largely been forgotten.
“The ability of medicine to keep people alive for such long periods of time — despite their best efforts to die — has changed the way people perceive the end of life,” says Susan desJardins, a pediatric cardiologist.
There is no African who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one’s cultural superiority.
The benefits of new and safer vaccines, new antibiotics and specialized drugs are clear. The economic feasibility of the research to produce them is not. This is not to say that pharmaceutical corporations are evil for needing to make a profit. However, it is to raise a question for us as consumers and investors, as members of the body politic, and as Christians.
Deviancy! Immorality! Racism! If you read enough of the papers—not to mention the bloggers– this is what one might think the Episcopal Church stands for.
Reducing morality and immorality to brain chemistry — rather than free will — might diminish the importance of personal responsibility. Even more important, some wonder whether the very idea of morality is somehow degraded if it turns out to be just another evolutionary tool that nature uses to help species survive and propagate.