As the one-year anniversary of my book publication approaches in January, I’m devoting Fridays from now until the end of the year to revisiting the book’s major themes. Each Friday, I’ll post an excerpt from No Easy Choice: A Story of Disability, Parenthood, and Suffering in an Age of Advanced Reproduction. This week, I’m featuring a section on a Nobel prize given to a pioneer in developing in vitro fertilization (IVF), and how the media reaction to his prize shines... Read more
I have a post up over at Relevant Magazine today, contemplating Advent, Christmas preparation, busyness, and meaning. It is another take on the themes I raised in Tuesday’s post. I hope you’ll give it a read and participate in the conversation! Read more
Confession: Every time I come across advice from a fellow Christian urging us to slow down during Advent, I am tempted to do an exaggerated, teenager-ly eye roll. Sometimes I actually do the eye roll. And throw in a heavy sigh for dramatic effect. To me, admonitions to shun holiday season busy-ness in favor of quiet and stillness, while well-intentioned, communicate a willful ignorance of just how much preparatory work even a relatively simple Christmas requires. I assume that most... Read more
As the one-year anniversary of my book publication approaches in January, I’m devoting Fridays from now until the end of the year to revisiting the book’s major themes. Each Friday, I’ll post an excerpt from No Easy Choice: A Story of Disability, Parenthood, and Suffering in an Age of Advanced Reproduction. This week, I’m featuring a section on how our culture tends to approach human embryos as “either/or,” rather than as liminal, that is, as dwelling in between two states... Read more
I have a tendency to stare overlong at the many runners who come to my picturesque wooded lakeside neighborhood for their daily exercise. I watch the ones for whom running comes so naturally, with their long effortless strides, their upright posture, the unmistakable light in their eyes. I envy these runners, for their gracefulness and obvious pleasure in strenuous physical movement. I watch the ones for whom running obviously does not come naturally, with their stiff and shuffling steps, their... Read more
When I picked up Adam C. English’s new book, The Saint Who Would be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra, I hoped for insights into how a fourth century bishop in what is now Turkey became our generous, child-loving symbol of Christmas giving. To an extent, I was disappointed. St. Nicholas of Myra left no letters or other written material, so what is known about him comes from a patchwork of other historical sources, some... Read more
In addition to the oft-bemoaned retail practice of filling shelves with Christmas goods as soon as Halloween is over, I have noticed that regular folk are putting their Christmas decorations up earlier and earlier—before Thanksgiving in some cases. And this bothers me. Not only because it overshadows our celebration of Thanksgiving, which is such a lovely holiday in part because it is so not commercial, requiring no gifts or cards or elaborate decoration. But also because by the time the... Read more
As the one-year anniversary of my book publication approaches in January, I’m devoting Fridays from now until the end of the year to revisiting the book’s major themes. Each Friday, I’ll post an excerpt from No Easy Choice: A Story of Disability, Parenthood, and Suffering in an Age of Advanced Reproduction, with questions for reflection at the end. You’re invited to respond to the question (or anything else in the post) in the comments. This week I’m featuring a passage... Read more
Read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. My identity as an Episcopalian stems partly from family history and partly from choice. On this Thanksgiving Eve, I am grateful for how the Episcopal Church has formed and is forming my Christian journey. I am particularly grateful for: The Book of Common Prayer I am a lousy pray-er. When I set aside time to pray, I spend far too much time figuring out what to pray about/for, or what kind... Read more
Read Part 1 of this series here. My husband Daniel and I met at the Potter’s House Church in Washington, D.C., which was part of the Church of the Saviour movement. We worshipped on Wednesday evenings in a coffee house that the church also ran as a nonprofit business. The Potter’s House was the center of our social and spiritual life. We still count the friends we made there among our most intimate lifelong friends, the kind of people whom... Read more
Ellen Painter Dollar
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