Bonhoeffer’s Ethics and Luis Mangione: Is Murder Ever Justified?

December 16, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pacifist, wrestled with an ethical dilemma. Is it moral to kill someone responsible for mass murder? He was thinking of Hitler and whether he should participate in the plot to assassinate him, which would have been an act of tyrannicide. While contemplating…

Copapayo: Blood-Soaked Lands Crying Out For Justice

December 10, 2024 by Miguel De La Torre

Suchitlán Lake is about an hour-and-a-half drive from San Salvador, mainly along backroads. Once there, we board a small powerboat named la Esperancito, “the little hope,” to continue our pilgrimage. We traverse the serene lake, hugged by undulating shores, for over an hour. Finally, we arrive at our…

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…