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Miguel De La Torre

Just As I Am: An Invitation to Salvation for U.S. Evangelicals

November 12, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

My Dearest U.S. Evangelicals, In my early twenties, I walked down the “sawdust center aisle” in front of the entire congregation while the pianist softly played hymn number 472: “Just as I Am.” I publicly gave my life to Jesus on the first Advent Sunday…

The Prophet Plato Speaks Today

November 8, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

One of the election themes from those who woke up Wednesday morning with a foreboding fear concerning election results was that our democracy is at risk. As I consider this risk, I am reminded of the words of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. In his…

The Anti-Christ Lives Today

October 9, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

The United States, as the self-proclaimed “shining light on the hill,” has always seen itself through apocalyptic eyes. Most Christians prior to the Civil War were postmillennialists, believing in a thousand years of peace before Christ returns. The only thing preventing this golden age ushering…

An Attack on a Shining Star in Bethlehem

October 1, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

Last year, I gave a talk at Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem, Palestine. The title of my presentation was “When the Oppressed Become Oppressors.” A few days later on October 7, war broke out. A year has passed and the war continues. The innocent continues to…

The Precedent for Saying “Enough” Gun Violence

September 16, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

I sit in the Memorial Garden at Port Arthur, Tanzania, where a coffee shop once stood. Port Arthur is a historical site and tourist destination. Originally, it was a prison colony. Established in 1830 and based on Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon designs, it was described as…

Turning Over Tables at One Tree Hill

September 12, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

One Tree Hill is visible from almost any vantage point in Auckland, New Zealand. It was formed 67,000 years ago from the last eruption of three volcanic craters, which are still visible. Despite its name, there is no tree on the mountain’s summit. This presents…

My Fear of Doctors

August 21, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

My annual physical is fast approaching. Honestly, I am afraid to go to the doctor, regardless of how critical routine check-ups are. But my fear of doctors is not for the same reasons that most Euro-Americans find it frightful. My fear is based on a…

On Being a “DEI Hire”

August 13, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

The concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is all over public discourse these days. This is largely a result of the presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, who supposedly was a vice president DEI hire. When President Biden decided on his VP pick, he mentioned…

Buen Camino: On the Journey with Miguel A De La Torre

July 11, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

Alarm rings at 5 a.m. Wash face, stuff backpack, stumble out the door of my hostel by 5:30 am and try to find where I can have café con leche. Walk three miles in the morning chill— sometimes in the 40s, sometimes in the 50s….

One Murder, Six Million Times

July 2, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

I am currently spending six weeks as a Fulbright scholar at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. On my walks to the university to teach my classes, I always stop for a moment to pay respects at the multiple memorials embedded in the sidewalk. I…