We face a generation in search of Obi-Wan: the wise mentor who can pass on how to live. Mentors used to be found in schools, churches, social organizations, and families, but all of those sources are drying up. Teachers are being asked to do more, test more, and assess more. The factory model of schooling that is often imposed on them, the massive paperwork, all make it hard to have the time to mentor. Nobody ever got tenure for being... Read more

When someone you like disagrees with you, then you should think about your position. All around great guy Eric Teetsel argues that the Bible does not support the actions of Kim Davis. Teetsel is a good thinker, so I took some time to examine his arguments. I think they fall short of the mark and I remain persuaded that Kim Davis is within her rights. She might have resigned, but she need not have. Her actions are well within the... Read more

Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”  He told his followers the Kingdom of Heaven is here and also that the Kingdom of Heaven is to come. I find it hard to keep both ideas in my head simultaneously, but the excercise is good for me.  The hippest Trinitarian theologian in America is Fred Sanders and he recently said in a social media feed: “That whoopie cushion sound when... Read more

As a student, I was taught to read and began to see beauty in texts. I learned to wonder, to question, to learn by being real about my ignorance. And then I had a horrid thought: what if I were smart enough to love the way of questions, the dialectic, but not good enough to do it? I went to my very wise teacher and expressed my concern. I am sure what I wanted was a reassuring compliment. Given my... Read more

I need prayer, but then I always need prayer. All the living need prayer and for many of the dead we ask God that their souls: rest in peace. Every day when I come to God, the gospel song is true: “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” We cannot twist the divine will by our prayers. There is no trick, no posture, no “technique” that means we will be heard. We are... Read more

When you mean to help somebody, then it is good to know what ails them or you might kill them. Telling a person struggling with anorexia to cheer up and eat more is missing the point. Eating disorders often have little to do with food and much to do with other issues in a person’s life. Sometimes people are delivered by prayer, but often they face a long journey of getting well. Being sick is not a sin . .... Read more