Voices
Stephanie Perdew
One of us
In my circles, the incarnation is often met with a dismissive liberal skepticism. For me, it has always been a consolation.
Phil Christman
The poverty of gossip
It’s not just that it’s sadistic. It also lacks aesthetic or psychological imagination.
Rachel Mann
Hope lets go
To grow into Christ’s likeness is to step away from power and toward failure.
Debie Thomas
Christ in my nerve endings
Living with chronic pain is deepening my understanding of the incarnation.
Brian Bantum
I keep listening for the chorus
My partial hearing loss is teaching me about Advent waiting and finding my place in God’s song.
Isaac S. Villegas
The heft of a pulpit Bible
As I pressed my sermon’s pages across the book’s valley, I couldn’t keep them from sliding into the groove.
Alejandra Oliva
Practicing patience in difficult times
I want to be able to take my days and transform them into beauty. This fall in Chicago, it has felt like time is running out.
Julian DeShazier
Learning from people who can’t quit
Musicians never stop being musicians. I hope it’s the same for justice seekers.
Stephanie Perdew
A day of mourning each November
I have been asked more than once to participate in civic Thanksgiving services. And more than once, I’ve declined.
Kelly Brown Douglas
What history are we making?
I remember when my son first asked me what history is. I told him it’s the story we write with our lives.
Melissa Florer-Bixler
Shared songs with new meaning
My colleague’s Black church was taking a break from anti-racism work with White churches. So we decided to sing together.
Julian DeShazier
Pastors and professionals
The church doesn’t just need leadership development. It needs processes, ongoing assessment, and shared accountability.
Phil Christman
Abolish ICE, and don’t stop there
Law enforcement officers generally resist any attempt to bring them to heel, and they are usually successful.
Peter Choi
What type of knowledge does the psalmist have?
Cultural anthropologist Johannes Fabian’s work has helped me better understand scripture—and my own faith.
Alejandra Oliva
My summer of acedia
I encountered Kathleen Norris’s Acedia and Me at a time when just about everything felt like more trouble than it was worth.
Phil Christman
More thoughts on private morality
I’m back with another column, and I’m still being a killjoy.
Rachel Mann
The silent, suffering God
I’ve spent weeks in the hospital this year. I keep waiting for God to speak.
Brian Bantum
The rhythm of a difficult song
Recently I reread the Psalms. I could feel the turbulence of the world that gave birth to them.
Kelly Brown Douglas
Freedom and the price of the ticket
James Baldwin reminds us that those who seek to police the freedom of others are, ironically, the least free.