Studying Politics with a Faith Perspective

You don’t have to choose between being a person of faith and a scholar. I see at least three ways that my faith in Christ and my appreciation of the academic discipline of political science have affected each other in positive ways.

First Reaction to the 2014 Midterms

It's been a long time since I've posted something on here, and no time like the day after the 2014 midterm election turned into a trip down Beatdown Boulevard* for the Democrats. Here's my quick take on what I'm looking at going forward, with some help from Public Enemy, Rick Pitino, SNL, and Bon Jovi.

How Brett Favre Teaches Us About Politics

I decided to go back through my social media feeds for mentions of recently released Taliban prisoner Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. My N=1 findings match those of this Vox piece regarding the about-face done by many of Bergdahl’s fiercest advocates.

It may be an excellent example of cognitive dissonance and balance seeking at work. This is something we all can catch ourselves in. Or, as I call it, the Brett Favre problem.

Yes, this guy teaches us about politics.
















The “Brett Favre” problem:

1. Packers fans love Favre.
2. Favre joins the hated Vikings.
3. Packers fans need balance. 

Obama's Foreign Policy: Art of the Possible or Playing out the String?

Today, President Obama chose a West Point commencement address to revisit for the public his administration's foreign policy. The address will be picked apart by many, but it is unlikely to go down in history like Bush's 2002 commencement speech in terms of importance. That doesn't mean it's not worth considering. 

Reflections on Israel: the tyranny of geography

Last summer I had the opportunity to travel to Israel as part of an academic fellowship from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The purpose of the fellowship was to explore issues related to terrorism and counterterrorism in the region. It was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about how complicated the issues are facing Israelis and Palestinians in their attempts to carve out a peaceful solution to the legacy of conflict.

Looking back on my time in Israel, the major lesson that stands out to me relates to geography. Geography is a tyrant that threatens the peace process, shaping all the advice that one could provide when commenting on Middle East peace. Combined with the presence of constant spoilers in the form of extremist actors, I returned sobered on the prospects for lasting peace in Israel.

Voting for Nehemiah

I was fortunate enough to be asked to help my church put together a series on faith and politics this year ahead of the election. My pastor framed the lessons around the book of Nehemiah and the essential leadership lessons that he provides.

I can sum these lessons up with two concepts: credibility and competence.

With respect to credibility, Nehemiah was a stranger in a strange land, but had earned the trust of the empire. As the cup-bearer he had already lived his life in a way where he was trusted by others. Right along with this, when he heard from his own people about the sorry state of a homeland he had never known, they were willing to follow him as a leader to rebuild the city walls.

Nehemiah was trusted by both sides. Can you think of a leader today who lives their life in a way that both the Republicans and Democrats place the highest degree of trust in their word?