Life of Faith
A glimpse of how heaven sees worship
On World Communion Day, I sat in the balcony. The view was stunning.
Politics, parenting, and other secular things we put our faith in
We’re religious about lots of things, says David Zahl. Just not God.
December 8, Advent 2A (Matthew 3:1–12)
In the stitched-together story of Advent, we wrestle with each other’s certainties.
Standing in the remains of the death camps in Poland
I was outraged. I wanted to burn it all down. I wanted to pray.
A playground bully, her victim, and their God
An incident in Germany reminded me who we all belong to.
To avoid risk, don’t get close to God
Sometimes faith is like encountering a grizzly bear.
December 1, Advent 1A (Matthew 24:36–44; Romans 13:11–14)
It’s troubling to imagine the Son of man arriving with criminal intent.
Saying good-bye to my congregation
I had to make room for conversations of thanks, forgiveness, love, and good-bye.
The problem with specialization
Chess players and golfers might benefit from an early, singular focus. Most people don’t.
Our legislators’ silence is a failure of moral courage
Margaret Chase Smith and Abraham Lincoln modeled a better way.
Pastors, friendship, and the limits of boundaries
What use are boundaries when you’re sitting with a friend who is about to die?
How Sister Helen Prejean became a “social justice sister”
“What saves us is learning how to love, even to the point of death.”
What moral fusion organizing can do that callout culture can’t
Build a broad-based movement
The man who volunteered to be imprisoned at Auschwitz
In the face of evil, we tend to keep our heads down. Not Witold Pilecki.
Reading the creation story in a dying world
The poetry of Genesis 1 invites us into a sort of palliative care for the earth.
Children’s books for tough conversations
We asked 11 writers to tell us about a book that opens up space for adults and children to discuss important questions.
“Self-interest seemed almost omnipotent”
Langdon Gilkey’s account of his imprisonment during WWII is a study in how humans act under pressure.
When the chapel is the most open place on campus
Virginia Woolf’s ideal university had no chapel. Mine has more than one.