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13 March 2017

Globalists versus Nationalists

Written by David L Johnston

“They are trying to fight fascism…. maybe they should go to a country that is actually fascist and fight there. This man is a hero.”

When President Donald Trump announced his first refugee ban, Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz fired back that his company would hire 10,000 refugees. In turn, this ignited a social media firestorm from conservatives vowing to boycott the brand. Though Starbucks disputes this will have any effect on its bottom line, it does underscore in graphic terms what we all know –…

23 January 2017

Pope on a Mission: Muslims in the Mix (2)

Written by David L Johnston

The potential future effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms. Credit: Left - Mellimage/Shutterstock.com, center - Montree Hanlue/Shutterstock.com.

In the second half of this blog post I make three points. After an introduction to Christian mission (and Islamic da’wa), I first argue that Pope Francis in his first encyclical is intentionally engaging in Christian mission. In fact, by addressing all humanity on an issue that impacts the whole planet with potentially disastrous consequences, he is leveraging his influence…

13 December 2016

Pope on a Mission: Climate Change & Creation Care (1)

Written by David L Johnston

Polar bears are losing their habitats across the glacier regions, and many are drowning as a result of the excessive floodwaters.

Like many others, I’ve been reeling under the shock of a Trump presidency and its potential impact on a host of issues, and the Paris Agreement in particular – in essence “the first international climate agreement” (see some of the dire consequence should the Trump administration choose to walk away from it in this Atlantic article). World peace is intimately…

06 June 2016

The Impossible Islamic State? (3)

Written by David L Johnston

Rachid Ghannouchi, right, the leader of the Ennahda party in Tunisia, and Abdelfattah Mourou, the vice president, on Friday at the party’s congress. On Monday, Mr. Ghannouchi won re-election with 800 of 1,058 ballots cast. Credit Fethi Belaid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

We now come full circle in this trilogy on the “impossible Islamic state.” Two months have elapsed since the second installment and only a couple of weeks ago a dramatic event took place that “puts the icing on the cake” in a way that I could never have anticipated. Ghannouchi himself in his opening speech to his party’s (Ennahda) Tenth…

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Books

Translation of Rached Ghannouchi's classic book

Yale University Press has finally released this translation I made of Tunisian Islamic scholar, activist and politician, Rached Ghannouchi's classic work, Public Freedoms in the Islamic State.

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Muslims and Christians Debate Justice and Love

This book was published in March 2020 and is available in ebook, hardback and paperback forms. See the publisher's page. Here's the abstract, or précis:

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Earth, Empire and Sacred Text

This book seeks to construct a Muslim-Christian theological discourse on creation and humanity, which could help adherents of both faiths work together to preserve our planet, bring justice to its most needy inhabitants and contribute to peacebuilding in areas of conflict. For more information or to purchase (now also in paperback!)

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