Debra Rae's Past Articles

38 articles

Right to Free Exercise Part 2, Slippery Slope Politics

published: December 19, 2011

Part 1 Revisited Once again, a four-year legal fight in Washington State has landed in a federal courtroom. In the end, two individual pharmacists (Margo Thelen and Rhonda Mesler) and a family-own...

Right to Free Exercise Part 1, No Leeway for Conscience

published: December 19, 2011

Once again, a four-year legal fight in Washington State has landed in a federal courtroom. In the end, two individual pharmacists (Margo Thelen and Rhonda Mesler) and a family-owned pharmacy (Ralph...

The Economics of Megachurchianty Part 4: Entrepreneurial Leadership Network

published: October 02, 2011

As a child, I recall locking arms with classmates while singing a playful little ditty, “the more we get together, together, together; oh, the more we get together, the happier we'll be.&rdqu...

The Economics of Megachurchianity Part 3: Language of the Communitarian Church

published: October 02, 2011

As social tools go, language is by far the most important. Certainly, it’s the most influential. The Proverbs makes this abundantly clear: To guard one’s tongue is to preserve life itse...

The Economics of Megachurchianity Part 2: Communitarian Church Growth Movement

published: October 02, 2011

When on track, the corporate world is likened to a well-oiled machine that is propelled by one integrative philosophy—namely, Total Quality Management (TQM). TQM ensures continual improvement...

Economics of Megachurchianity Part 1: Church Tradition, Transition, and Transformation

published: October 02, 2011

“Old timers” remember with fondness the community church of yesteryear, when both the church and grammar school operated out of a single building, likewise used as a gathering place for...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again Part 4: Political Lessons Learned by an American Man in Captivity Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

Our second year of teaching at the American School of Kuwait, I toured Iran while some of my colleagues spent Christmas vacation in Ethiopia. The cheapest, most expeditious route for their travels ...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again Part 3: Political Lessons Learned by an American Woman in Captivity Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

My second year of teaching at the American School of Kuwait, I toured Iran while colleagues spent Christmas vacation in Ethiopia. The cheapest route for their group was through Yemen; therefore, up...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again Part 2: Theological Lessons Learned from Girls of Riyadh and Kuwait Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

Not long ago, I read a fascinating book unlike any other. Translated into English from Arabic, the Girls of Riyadh compiles a series of emails written by a young Saudi Arabian woman who, at th...

Islamo-phobic? Think Again. Part 1: Cultural Lessons from Girls of Riyadh and Kuwait Debra Rae

published: August 14, 2011

Recently I read a fascinating book unlike any other. Translated into English from Arabic, the Girls of Riyadh compiles a series of emails written by a young Saudi Arabian woman who, at the time of ...

Today’s Tactical Pursuit of Religious Commonality Part 3: Bamboozled by Buddlam

published: July 19, 2011

Generally speaking, the study of cultural geography is a good thing. Ongoing dialogue allows one to learn more about others’ beliefs and cultures and hopefully fosters goodwill among world ci...

Today’s Tactical Pursuit of Religious Commonality Part 2: Baited by Buddlam

published: July 19, 2011

These days, while describing themselves as “spiritual,” increasing numbers of Westerners embrace “no religious affiliation.” Though creed, commandments, and ritual are falli...

Today’s Tactical Pursuit of Religious Commonality Part 1: Exclusionism, Pluralism, Inclusionism

published: July 19, 2011

It’s said that “if words are to enter men’s minds and bear fruit, they must be the right words shaped cunningly to pass men’s defenses and explode silently and effectually w...

Recipe for Revolution: Mobilizing for Social Transformation Part 2

published: May 11, 2011

A child of the revolutionary sixties, I witnessed firsthand the unprecedented social upheaval of that turbulent decade. Especially on college campuses, the counterculture gained momentum as more an...

Recipe for Revolution: Mobilizing for Social Transformation Part 1

published: May 11, 2011

As a young teenager, I witnessed the historic visit of Nikita Khrushchev to my mid-west hometown. At the time, our respective nations were embroiled in the Cold War. Distinguished as first secretar...

Welcome to SHARIAmerica!

published: May 06, 2011

Acts 17 Apologetics has posted a provocative U-Tube video in which David Wood welcomes listeners to what he dubs “SHARIAmerica.” In it, Wood offers compelling reason why our government&...

“Grand Bargain” Snafu: OTMs Fed by Global Cocaine Trade

published: April 04, 2011

Most agree that national defense from enemy intrusion is more than advisable; it’s compulsory. That said our nation has always been immigrant-friendly. For good reason, my German- and Norwegi...

The WOW Factor: Watchmen on the Wall for Such a Time as This Remember the Alamo, Part 2

published: March 13, 2011

From very early history to modern times, city walls served as fortifications, if not fortresses. The term, “fortification,” is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and fac...

The WOW Factor: Watchmen on the Wall for Such a Time as This Remember the U.S. Constitution, Part 1

published: March 13, 2011

Most agree that life is fraught with danger. Not all threats are physical, but most are birthed out of ideologies. Hitler’s Germany provides a prime example. At the Führer’s biddin...

Class Warfare—Then and Now

published: January 29, 2011

Curious, isn’t it? While America is portrayed globally as repugnant, several hundred thousand immigrants think enough about her to forfeit all they have to get here. Be sure those who have ta...

Class Warfare—Then and Now

published: January 29, 2011

Ah, the sixties! I remember them well. College campuses across our nation were abuzz with flower power on one hand and seething with anger on the other. Targeting and manipulating naïve studen...

The Lost Art of Critical Thinking Part 6

published: December 05, 2010

Recently, the Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, Houston, joined Christian communities in Atlanta, Seattle, and Detroit to encourage “ecumenical reconciliation” between Christianity an...

The Lost Art of Critical Thinking Part 5

published: December 05, 2010

A pleasing mixture of aromatic or dried spices, fruits, and petals of flowers generally appeals to the senses; but “potpourri” also speaks to a mixed bag of that which is motley or misc...

The Lost Art of Critical Thinking Part 4, PC Peace Bait

published: November 06, 2010

Having lived in the Middle East, and having traveled to a number of countries with sizable Muslim communities—e.g., Bahrain, China, Djibouti, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, ...

Globalism Revisited: How Shall We Then Live?

published: November 03, 2010

To be separate and “touch not the unclean thing” presupposes identification with God’s truth as opposed to any counterfeit of it.121 In order to discern accurately between truth a...