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October 09, 2017

Putting Columbus in context

A few years ago the following quote from Christopher Columbus started making the rounds: For one woman they give a hundred castellanos, as for a farm; and this sort of trading is very common, and there are already a great number of merchants who go in search of girls; there are at this moment some nine or ten on sale; they fetch a good price, let their age be what it will. Continue Reading...
October 09, 2017

How Christopher Columbus helped bring the School of Salamanca to the Americas

Every Columbus Day gives rise to endless debates and recriminations over the impact of Christopher Columbus’ expedition upon the indigenous peoples of the Americas. No honest observer can dismiss the injustices perpetrated after Columbus’ landing (nor before it), but one benefit of his voyage has been forgotten: It inadvertently exposed the Americas to the School of Salamanca. Continue Reading...
October 09, 2017

Department of Justice memo reaffirms our rights of religious liberty

In May President Trump issued an executive order directing Attorney General Sessions to address several issues concerning religious liberty, including: • Issue explicit guidance from the Attorney General to the Treasury Department to prohibit the revocation of tax exempt status to an organization based on its religious beliefs; • Encourage the Department of Health & Human Services to issue the draft interim final rule providing relief to the contraceptive mandate; • Ensure a Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) analysis is articulated in the process of all future regulations; • Reaffirm the First Amendment to the U.S. Continue Reading...
October 06, 2017

‘Work Songs’: A new collection of hymns on work and vocation

In June of 2017, a group of 60 Christian creatives gathered in New York City to discuss and reflect on the intersection of worship and vocation. Known as the The Porter’s Gate Worship Project, the group is comprised of musicians, pastors, writers, and scholars, aiming to “reimagine and recreate worship that welcomes, reflects and impacts both community and the Church.” Continue Reading...
October 05, 2017

What a Chinese economist learned from American churches

“Only through awe can we be saved. Only through faith can the market economy have a soul.” -Zhao Xiao When French diplomat and historian Alexis de Tocqueville visited America in the 1830s, he marveled at the “associational life” of American communities, noting the particular influence of religion and local churches. Continue Reading...