Parenthood and planning don’t always cooperate By CHRISTIAN PIATT THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN My wife, Amy, and I found out a few weeks ago that we’re going to have another baby. We’re excited, but already, plans have begun to change. We had a previous vacation planned to Pagosa Springs before we learned she was expecting. Our favorite things to do in Pagosa are to relax in the hot springs for hours every day, take some naps, have a couple of drinks... Read more

Just what is a ‘Red Letter Christian?’ By CHRISTIAN PIATT There are fairly divided feelings over the phrase “evangelical Christian” these days. The term evokes all kinds of images, and for many who do not identify themselves as evangelical Christians, most of those associations are negative: Slick snake-oil salesmen disguised as preachers, soliciting peoples’ money on TV. Angry tirades issued from bullhorns on street corners about the sinful state of the world. Hypocritical attitudes toward others, suggestive that somehow the... Read more

I haven’t shared much about my writing projects outside of the columns lately, but quite a bit has gone down lately, so I thought I’d catch everyone up. Probably the biggest news has to do with Chalice Press, the publisher of my first two books. I presented a proposal to them for a book of spoken word poetry, combined with a CD of authors reading, back before my book on LOST even got approved. They liked the idea, but said... Read more

The power of ‘we’ in the face of violence By CHRISTIAN PIATT THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN I had a conversation recently with a number of folks about the role of violence in our culture. Often, the first images that come to mind when the word “violence” is uttered are movies, video games and images we see on the evening news. But there are a number of contexts within which violence can be considered, and in many cases, the acceptability of violence... Read more

How the female breast was replaced by the cross Imagine walking into a Christian sanctuary and, instead of a cross or crucifix hanging before the altar or over the baptistery, you find a painting of Mary, breast exposed, nursing the baby Jesus. Seem hard to imagine? For about fourteen hundred years following Jesus’ life, this was more common than most people might realize. Though today, it’s hard to imagine viewing a naked female breast in a place of worship as... Read more

I am excited to say that, after four years for waiting, many emails and an online petition, construction is officially underway on our first ever Chipotle restaurant in Pueblo. I was surfing the web for Chipotle-related info and found htis cool nurtional calculator application. since Chipotle’s not exactly forthcoming about the calorie, fat and sodium content of your favorite burrito. Hey, if you want to pig out in ignorance, go for it. It is, after all, the most awesome food... Read more

Highlights of an online chat with God In doing some research for a book, I ran across a website called iGod. Basically, it’s a chat room where you supposedly have a direct link to the almighty. At first, the whole idea seemed silly, but then I thought about my discomfort. After all, why couldn’t the essence of God be as much like a computer program or a mathematical formula? So I decided to give it a shot and see what... Read more

How bad will leadership get before we must demand change? By CHRISTIAN PIATT THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN The worse the economy gets, the angrier I become about the legacy of indebtedness our leadership is planning to leave to me, my children and, likely, their children. As Democrats and Republicans jockey to appease voters with rebates, tax cuts and incentives, they pile more atop the mountain of debt to which we add every day: $1.4 billion every 24 hours, to be specific.... Read more

The unease that comes with moral flexibility Some religious leaders have howled about the moral relativism of our contemporary culture, pointing to this as the slippery slope that ultimately will lead to our collective downfall. In some respects, this can be argued successfully, I suppose, but it’s generally assumed we’re always talking about trending toward more liberal values than the other way around. The recent raids of the polygamist compound in Texas raised a new awareness of this for me.... Read more

Let’s see, now: When is a sin not a sin? Sometimes we humans can’t seem to win for losing. Clearly, our collective dependence on fossil fuels raises myriad issues that we’re at least gradually beginning to address. Alternative energy sources are springing up and proliferating, almost as quickly as our infrastructure can support them, including more solar power, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear and biofuels, among others. The controversy around nuclear power, including the security risks and toxicity of the remaining byproducts,... Read more