Life of Faith
Church gossip and a pastor’s double life
I’m obligated to a high standard of confidentiality. I also find the stories on social media hard to resist.
Blessings for all
Christine Valters Paintner draws on Jewish, Islamic, and Celtic traditions to widen what is worthy of blessing.
My prayer for soldiers
I looked up to see a line of 50 kids in uniform boarding the plane. Every one of them had brown skin like mine.
The price of virtue
It is often easier to do good or be good if you are rich. Just ask Job.
A gospel of belonging in Korea
It’s my first time here in decades, and I have been struck by the depth of relational intimacy on display everywhere I go.
Annie Dillard’s unrestrained hallelujah
The visionary writer showed us that paying attention could make us certain that the world is holy.
Masks hide us—and shape us
When extremists don disguises and terrorize others, they also do grave moral damage to themselves.
An NGO’s complex ethics
Journalist Ross Halperin tells the story of two friends whose work in Honduras finds them bearing the high costs of discipleship.
In love with a fantasy
Amanda McCracken thought she’d been unlucky in love. Instead she’d been faithful to the idea of longing itself.
Beauty and how to see it
Reading Van Gogh’s letters has helped me uncover a deeper, more textured theological understanding.
Wendell Berry’s vision of a sacred world
Experience, reading, and the daily rounds of farm work taught Wendell that scripture is correct: Every creature and every inch of earth is made and approved by God.
Lessons from the group chat
What makes these friendships so special—and the distance so hard—is the deep sense that we are called to be witnesses to each other’s lives.
Dolly’s theology was love
There was a fabulously DIY quality to Dolly Parton’s faith.
Facing the world with Edith Stein
How do we get through the darkest of nights? For Stein, the answer is clear and unwavering: We uphold God’s truth, always.
A desert gospel in San Francisco
In Mark’s wilderness and in my city, life emerges in unexpected ways.