Cultural war and peace
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Cultural war and peace

How did it come to this? Eighteen months after citizens were banging pots and waving banners in support of health care workers, parliament had to pass a new law to stop abusive attacks as doctors enter hospitals. Over Christmas, public pressure was needed to take down a social media offer of a monetary reward for…

Competing Rights in a Media World
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Competing Rights in a Media World

I find it a challenge to balance staying informed about news and thinking within my faith community, being alert to other perspectives, and engaging in the public conversations that are shaping our society. This month, Christian Courier celebrates 75 years of connecting and building a community. Without it, we readers would be less connected and weaker in…

The intersection of rights
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The intersection of rights

Some Christians resolve the tension by arguing that religious freedom trumps all other rights. That is not the position in law and I don’t think it is biblical either. Basic tenants in human rights are universality – all people have equal rights – and indivisibility and interdependence – all areas of rights are interrelated. I work at the intersection of rights.

Permitted to learn
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Permitted to learn

Before that Talib boarded her school bus and shot her in the forehead, she was already blogging against the Taliban’s systematic oppression of girls’ education. All through her painful recovery, through death threats and intimidation, she was not silenced. Even now, trying to quantify the importance of her ongoing advocacy and obvious success is daunting: the Nobel Prize looks small by comparison.