Repaso is something new I’m trying: a weekly roundup of news, commentary and more at the intersections of faith, development, justice and peace in the Americas.
Justice goes global
My good friend Barnabas sent me this piece from Tom Friedman about how Michael Sandel and his Justice course at Harvard (which I discussed here) is gaining popularity in Asia.
Sandel is touching something deep in both Boston and Beijing. “Students everywhere are hungry for discussion of the big ethical questions we confront in our everyday lives,” Sandel argues. “In recent years, seemingly technical economic questions have crowded out questions of justice and the common good. I think there is a growing sense, in many societies, that G.D.P. and market values do not by themselves produce happiness, or a good society. My dream is to create a video-linked global classroom, connecting students across cultures and national boundaries — to think through these hard moral questions together, to see what we can learn from one another.”
Barefoot college helps Venezuela Indians fight back
This is an interesting Reuters piece about a university aimed at preserving indigenous culture in Venezuela. Not all the “threats” listed below are created equal, in my opinion.
Like similar groups across the world, their habitat and way of life in a vast, long-neglected region of forests and waterways around the Orinoco river are increasingly threatened by illegal mining, ranchers and evangelical Christianity. Adding to the mix of influences are socialist aid programs from President Hugo Chavez, who has placed Venezuela’s Indian identity at the heart of his home-spun revolution.
Christ unwanted in Lima?
Outgoing Peruvian president Alan Garcia wants to construct a huge “Christ of the Pacific” statue overlooking the capital city, but his plan is being met with resistance. Lima’s mayor says Garcia didn’t ask permission to build on that prominent location, and says it will have to be built elsewhere.
Ghosts of Guatemala’s past
This is the co-author of a definitive book on a key chapter of Guatemalan history, on the significance of former president Jacobo Arbenz finally being recognized by the country, not as a villain but a hero. The United States, he says, should do the same.
Blowing in the Wind: Dylan’s spiritual journey
This is slightly out of date, but in late May the BBC had a 30-minute radio program commemorating Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday, taking a look at his one-of-a-kind spiritual journey.
