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Lincoln and the war that never ended
Yesterday flags stood at half mast to mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln. It was, to borrow the man’s own phrase, altogether fitting and proper that we should do this in recognition of our greatest president and his tragic end.
The freedom to practice religion without empathy
While I happen to think that refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding that isn’t even happening at your own church is a distortion of what it means to follow Jesus, this is more lament than argument. It makes me sad; and our religious freedom tradition, quite rightly, isn’t particularly concerned about my sadness.
What’s far more frustrating than pro-RFRA sentiment itself is the lack of empathy displayed by some who hold it.
Unfamiliar lands
Princeton Theological Seminary can be a lonely place for an African American professor. During a difficult period, I saw Isabel Wilkerson on PBS.
Discerning desire
I was 29, agonizing over a decision, when I came upon a little book by Robert Ochs.
Wearing God, by Lauren F. Winner
I read Lauren Winner's new book with the sort of joy one feels when watching someone utterly hit their stride.
Unlikely sage
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a strange combination: a relentlessly upbeat comedy about surviving abuse.
Grounded
It’s rare that my chiropractor and my spiritual director offer me the same advice, but when they do, I think it’s a sign that I’m supposed to pay particular attention.
The ups and downs of Lincoln's legacy
One hundred and fifty years ago today, Abraham Lincoln died after being shot the night before. That April 15 was the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
A man forgiven
Instead of sitting down to rage at a blank page again, I grabbed a copy of Don Quixote. Three days later, the ice of time had cracked.
“They Can Live in the Desert but Nowhere Else,” by Ronald Grigor Suny
Study of the Armenian genocide has attracted many fine scholars, but Ronald Suny's book stands out.
Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon appointed Anglican Communion secretary general
Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon, a Nigerian bishop from Kaduna, in April became the first African to be appointed as secretary general of the 85-million-member Anglican Communion....
April 26, Fourth Sunday of Easter: Psalm 23
When I pray the words of Psalm 23, the “you” I address them to is God. But I hope others will overhear.
Child abuse and war
Almost every day our local paper carries one or more articles about someone being charged with or convicted of sexual molestation. The victims are usually children or youth....
Superhost!
Hospitality is important to me. I grew up in a home where it was common to have guests for dinner, even though we were a family of seven without a formal dining room. Simply getting everyone around the table could be a squeeze, but I don’t remember a person ever complaining. We were happy to sit down to my mother’s good cooking and the clink of bowls passing. I grew up knowing that to host an unexpected guest you simply added water to the soup, or corn muffins to the menu. I thought everyone hosted other people in this way.
Pastoring a church is essentially the practice of hospitality.
Living with selfhood
When I was 13, my pastor slipped me Glenn Clark's The Soul's Sincere Desire. Within three pages, I knew I had a soul.
God Help the Child, by Toni Morrison
In her 11th novel Toni Morrison returns to the foundation of most of her fiction: childhood and its traumatic effects.