Africa, Poverty, and America’s Empty Promises: or Why Bono’s Wrong

The Council on Foreign Relations has provided the transcript of a fascinating and enlightening discussion with Columbia economist Jeffrey Sachs on the question, “Can We End Global Poverty?” Sachs is particularly forthright on how out of step the American position on African aid really is: SACHS: Most of us that have looked at this in…

Jesus and Petroleum

I finally got a chance to watch “I Heart Huckabees” last night: a fun-enough pop-existential film a couple of notches up from “Garden State.” It probably tries to be a bit too smart (the film centers around a couple of “existential detectives” well-played by Dustin Hoffman and Lili Tomlin), but at least it doesn’t resort…

On Joel Osteen’s “Church”: Does Jesus Exist to Make us Happy?

Just want to point readers to Jason Byassee’s excellent piece on Joel Osteen. Jason is remarkably charitable to Osteen, but in the end–and because of that–offers a stinging critique of Osteen’s version of what Rodney Clapp once called “Winnie-the-Pooh” theology. Pooh bear reasons as follows: If I hear buzzing, there must be bees about; if…