Life of Faith
What Meghan and Harry can and can’t escape
At the heart of life is the mess of being stuck with other people.
When we advertise our righteousness, it becomes self-righteousness
What we can learn from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector
February 23, Transfiguration A (Matthew 17:1–9)
God’s presence transfigures here, now, in the familiar.
Faith formation in my world religions classroom
Each year a Hindu priest asks my students to “worship our own, but respect all.” They find the second part easier.
Rachael Denhollander’s account of standing up against sexual abuse
The gymnast who brought down Larry Nassar tells her story.
February 16, Epiphany 6A (Matthew 5:21–37, Deuteronomy 30:15–20)
Idolatry is the desire to manipulate God.
Making a habit out of Epiphany
Epiphanies flare up and fade. How can we keep them in our everyday vision?
Our problem isn’t just loneliness—it’s species loneliness
How human isolation from the rest of the world keeps us from thriving.
The dirty work of ministry
What two drastically different messages from parishioners taught me
Kindness, kinship, and the boundaries of justice
The virtue of kindness depends on who we see as kin.
Examining whiteness through “reparative writing”
Jess Row asks what happens when alienation turns to rage.
Shaping a place where people can become more like Christ
Scot McKnight looks to Paul to define the pastoral task.
My Muslim friend Ali and my Christian commitment to his life of faith
How American hostility toward Muslims has shaped my pastoral vocation
The sexual harasser in the church soup kitchen
When a culture of abuse thrives within a congregation