In 1999, the most populous African nation, Nigeria returned to democratic rule. Prior to this time, Nigeria was ruled by military dictators. Most notable of these were General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the self-proclaimed "Evil Genius" and General Sani Abacha, who died mysteriously in 1998, paving the way for civilian rule....

On Sunday, Sep. 26, many Christian churches around the world heard the story of the rich man and Lazarus from the gospel of Luke 16:19-31. As I reflected on this story, I was reminded once again of our Christian responsibility to heal the world of all divisions. The rich man...

When I saw the story of the Heartsong Church, a Christian congregation in Tennessee opening its church's doors for their Muslim neighbors to use for prayer service, I recalled how a Muslim family opened its doors for me to celebrate a Catholic Mass last December in Nigeria.

​Last December, while...

Since the debate on the Islamic center in New York City began, the Islamic religion has been under severe attack in our news media. Islamophobes have used all sorts of derogatory terms to describe Islam. Many, knowing very little about Islam, have become experts who have erroneously dissected Islam to...

In the last year, some progressives have campaigned for consumers to move their money from big banks to local community banks. Like most people disappointed with the actions of the big banks, I closed some of my accounts with the big banks and I opened an account with a small...

Freedom is a word we use a lot. As Americans, we do not hesitate to tell people that we are a free people. What does freedom really mean to an American Christian? The secular understanding of freedom is different from the Christian understanding of freedom. As Americans, we speak...

Oil is cheap. Despite all the taxes that are placed in every single gallon of oil we buy, it is still cheap. But when we factor in both the human and environmental cost of oil, it is not cheap. The oil spill in the Gulf once again reminds us of...

It was Christmas day, and I had driven from Washington, DC to Warsaw, Virginia where I was having dinner with a friend's family. I had forgotten to turn my phone's push notifications off, something that rarely happens in special dinners like these. News had just broken and I had a...

It has been about a week since Umar Farouk Abdulmutalla, a Nigerian national, attempted to commit a terrorist act onboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. In the next two weeks, I will be blogging from Nigeria, sharing stories with you on different issues that plague this "giant" of Africa....

In the last few weeks, I have been asking most of the people I encounter two questions: Do you have health insurance? Are you happy with your health insurance? These are very basic questions, yet, they have the potential to change our whole discourse on health care reform. The number...

After President Barack Obama's landmark victory in the Presidential election's last year, many pundits as well as ordinary Americans were eager to proclaim a new era in American history, "the post-racial era." Many blacks, most especially those who were civil right activists sounded a word of caution which many people...

In its recently concluded summit in Serta, Libya, African leaders decided not to cooperate with the International Criminal Court on the arrest and prosecution of Al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, who has been indicted by the court for war crimes. One of the reasons given for this resolution was offered...

President Barack Obama, in a public statement last week, reminded the leaders of Iran that the world was watching the unfolding events in their country. He wrote, "The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost...." Prior to this...

It was June 12, 1993. Millions of Nigerians went to the polls to cast their votes in an election that to this date has been judged to be the freest and fairest election that has ever taken place in Nigeria. I was only 15 at the time but I was...