Last Monday a friend and I pulled up to a duplex in Pella, Iowa to load some books into the back of my van. The books were a part of the library of Dr. John Hulst, former president of Dordt College. I remember the first…
Jason LiefMarch 3, 2017
A Palm Sunday Reflection with Saint Oscar Romero
On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was gunned down as he celebrated Mass. A week later, on Palm Sunday,…
Read More 
The other day I had a moment. Maybe it was the light, maybe it was the smell of melting snow, whatever it was it brought me back to my grandma's house. The moment came and went quickly, but it was enough to remind me of…
Jason LiefFebruary 17, 2017
The Trump presidency is off to a fascinating start. My Facebook feed is full of propaganda from both sides: family members who see him as the savior of America, and friends who think this is the end. What if they’re both wrong? Stanley Hauerwas wrote…
Jason LiefFebruary 3, 2017
The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah…
Jason LiefJanuary 20, 2017
I have to admit— I'm totally fine with putting 2016 out of its misery. Not only did we lose Prince and George Michael, I also changed jobs. Honestly, it was the hardest decision I've ever made. I don't regret it, but like any decision it has…
Jason LiefJanuary 6, 2017
I recently finished reading Shusaku Endo's Silence in preparation for the film adaptation by Martin Scorsese that will be released on Christmas day. It's a haunting story of Jesuit priests in Japan during the height of 17th century persecution. Two priests are on a mission to find…
Jason LiefDecember 23, 2016
Recently, Christianity Today ran an article exploring the uneasy relationship between Christian Colleges and Title IX. The article frames one side of the issue as a matter of principle—sometimes an institution as to “do the right thing” and let the chips fall where they may. Only,…
Jason LiefDecember 16, 2016
For the past five years or so Perspectives has been living on the edge of non-existence. Every year at our board meeting someone would ask the question: Should we just be done? We’re not the only magazine to ask the question. The last few years…
Jason LiefDecember 2, 2016
"What does Jesus say about all that? He says 'Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them'. The call to be extraordinary is the great, inevitable danger of discipleship. Therefore, beware of this extraordinariness, of the way discipleship becomes…
Jason LiefNovember 18, 2016