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James Davison Hunter has a new book out called To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, and by all accounts, it’s pretty good. (For example, here’s Andy Crouch’s review of it.)

I’ve just read an interview with Hunter in the new Christianity Today (it’s not online yet). In it, he says something that really ticks me off whenever I hear it. He suggests that Christians need to move beyond politics, and he singles out the pro-life movement as an example:

What would a post-political gesture look like in the pro-life movement? Borrowing an example from a friend, imagine ten thousand families signing a petition in Illinois that declares they will adopt a child of any ethnic background and physical capability. If they wanted to do something spectacular, they could go to city hall for a press conference, announcing that in the state of Illinois there are no unwanted children. That would be a public — but not political — act. Such an act leads with compassion rather than coercion.

Cool idea — so why does it tick me off?

What does he think Christians are already doing? [Read more]

Not me, that’s for sure. This week, I travelled up to Chicago for a Jeopardy! casting audition (that’s right – casting – they want you to be smart, but they also want contestants who look good on TV). This was the second time I auditioned, and I feel like I did much better. Who knows how it will turn out, but even if I get on, Jeopardy doesn’t really owe me anything. It’s act of grace (with a dash of capitalism) that anyone gets on and wins money.

There’s one person I hope gets chosen, though. At my audition was a family doctor from Missouri. Part of the audition process is a “faux” game of Jeopardy, complete with the little personal interview that Alex does at the end of the first commercial break. During her interview, this woman revealed that her husband’s a pastor, and she joked that winning Jeopardy would help with their church’s building campaign.

The casting director then asked, “What would you really do with the money?” Every potential contestant was asked this question. Most of them talked of travel to favorite locales or pet projects around the home. I described a dream I have to build a garden office in my backyard.

This shy doctor from Missouri, though, gave the answer of the day.

I work with a medical missions group that helps women in Ghana who are escaping slavery. And that’s how I would use the money.

This Jeopardy casting crew hears hundreds, maybe thousands, of “what I would do if I won” answers each year. You could tell that this one gave them something to think about.

Be sure to visit the Ohio State Price of Life website. This event raised awareness, money, and political support to end human trafficking around the world, in the name of Jesus and the freedom he gives. More than 300 people made commitments to follow Christ during the weeklong event.

Quick reminder: we will not be having class on April 28 or May 5. We’ll be resuming on May 12 with a special speaker on contemporary issues in Islam.

The handout for Buddhism is below, and my presentation can be seen after the jump. Meanwhile, a couple of links you might be interested in:

• The world’s most famous Buddhist teacher is on Twitter: click here to see the official Twitter account for the 14th Dalai Lama.
• After class, I realized that I made a major omission from my list of famous Buddhists – namely, the most famous athlete in the world, Tiger Woods.
  • CBS News did a story about Woods’ Buddhist upbringing and how it is guiding his response to his personal failings
  • GetReligion, meanwhile, has written several posts which look at media coverage of Woods’ religious beliefs. For example, here’s one post which takes a look at the bracelet that Woods has begun wearing, and connects Woods with the Dalai Lama.

Handout

Buddhist Handout (PDF, 61KB) [Read more]