Think of all the things we take for granted in life. The concepts of white privilege and patriarchy are that white males have certain historical advantages that they never actually think about. Things are becoming more egalitarian, for sure. However, Western civilization has been, for better or worse, a product of straight white men exploiting… Continue reading Taking God for Granted
Category: Education
The Privileged Pilgrim’s Progress
The subject of "privilege" for straight, white, Christian males is once again rearing its ugly head. Whenever this topic arises, those who are accused of privilege insist that they are not, while those who are doing the accusing refuse to see their own culpability in the structural problems that face the downtrodden in our American… Continue reading The Privileged Pilgrim’s Progress
Bigger is Badder
What do Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders supporters have in common? They express anger at “big” industries, such as government or business. As seemingly oppositional as these anti-establishment groups are, I would suggest that they are more similar than any would like to admit. It is a force that is not as specific as big… Continue reading Bigger is Badder
I am a “Racist” and That’s Okay.
I was talking to person of color yesterday about the lack of a major church led peace rally in response to the Black Lives Matter riots, and the conversation ended with me essentially being called a racist. How did we get there? This person, a self-professed Christian who happens to be biracial, seemed like a… Continue reading I am a “Racist” and That’s Okay.
Let’s Talk About Rape
Rape culture. Have you heard of it? Are you aware that we allegedly live in one here in the US of A? Did you know that our college campuses have rates of sexual assault on par with the Rwandan genocide (23% if you take the highest possible estimations) where rape was used as a weapon.… Continue reading Let’s Talk About Rape
The Cure for Legitimation Crisis
We are staring into the eyes of what Jurgen Habermas called a “legitimation crisis.” There is a fundamental mistrust of our government, churches, media, education, legal system, and other administrative agencies that are supposed to be in place to protect us from tyranny. Regardless of our political or religious affiliations, we feel let down. This… Continue reading The Cure for Legitimation Crisis
The Reality of Transgender Children
What would you do if your child was confused about their gender identity? This was a question posed to a group of college students, and I found their responses to be quite interesting. Answers ranged from “I don’t know” to “I would love them no matter what,” which is quite refreshing. Some of the more… Continue reading The Reality of Transgender Children
The Case for Cruz
There are several polarizing candidates in the 2016 election. Many people feel exceptionally strong about Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Cruz. These four are the candidates that people really either love or hate. I would argue that three of these deserve the label of unelectable. One, however, stands apart from the rest,… Continue reading The Case for Cruz
The Power of the Image
The image is an intriguing construction. Not only visible, an image can also be produced through sound and touch. We can even close our eyes and create an image that is unique to our imaginations. There are natural images, such as forests or mountains. There are also socially constructed images, which are pretty much anything… Continue reading The Power of the Image
The Postmodern World
I want us all to really think hard about this: There will be people voting in the next election who have no personal connection to America prior to George W. Bush. There is a massive voting bloc who were 3 years old when the World Trade Center went down. There are millions of eligible voters… Continue reading The Postmodern World
Simmons' Opinions 