What Shane Claiborne (& Mother Teresa!) Got Wrong: On Being the Body of Christ with Imperfect Bodies

Last updated on: September 19, 2012 at 11:42 pm By Ellen Painter Dollar

Last spring, I heard a terrific talk from Shane Claiborne at the Festival of Faith & Writing. Claiborne, a prominent voice in progressive Christian circles, lives in Philadelphia’s inner city, where he and the other inhabitants of the Simple Way community practice a “new monasticism.” They value hospitality and communal living, seek to build relationships with those living in their neighborhood, and are concerned with issues around poverty and wealth, power and violence. From the descriptions I’ve read, the Simple... Read more

I’m Off (Following the Connecticut Author Trail…)

Last updated on: September 12, 2012 at 10:33 am By Ellen Painter Dollar

I’m taking a couple of days off of blogging. Today, my pal (and very talented writer…preorder her book!) Rachel Stone is crossing Long Island Sound to hang with me. Tonight, she and I, and a couple of other friends, will go to a big shindig at the Mohegan Sun Casino honoring the 2012 Connecticut Authors Trail writers—of which I am honored to be one. Plus I’ve actually never been to Mohegan Sun, which is kind of embarrassing for someone who... Read more

Before Everything Changed

Last updated on: September 11, 2012 at 8:23 am By Ellen Painter Dollar

(Adapted from a post originally published on my former blog, Five Dollars and Some Common Sense, in April 2009) A few years ago, my parents went through hundreds of old photos, throwing some out, giving some to each child, and saving some to be transferred to CD. My mom gave me a copy of this photo from April 1972, showing our family at the Statue of Liberty. I found this photo fascinating for several reasons. First, the twin towers in... Read more

God, Gratitude and Suffering: The Basics

Last updated on: September 11, 2012 at 8:08 am By Ellen Painter Dollar

On this day in which we remember another September 11—a day on which too many people had to ask that terrible question, “Why?” “Why me?” “Why him or her?” “Why us?”—a few thoughts on the nature of suffering and gratitude. 1. Scripture advises us to be grateful in all things, not for all things. From 1 Thessalonians 5— Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.... Read more

Fed Up with “The Church”? Try a Different One (Maybe Even in the Mainline!)

Last updated on: September 10, 2012 at 7:15 am By Ellen Painter Dollar

In a hugely popular post titled “Confessions of an Accidental Feminist,” blogger, author, and evangelical upstart (in a good way) Rachel Held Evans shared this quote from her exasperated husband: “It seems to me that the only thing you have to do to be controversial in the Church is to say something true and be a woman at the same time.” This statement was so lusciously tweetable because it speaks to many evangelical women’s experiences. Within American evangelicalism are people... Read more

An Untold Story About Prescription Painkillers (Mine)

Last updated on: September 5, 2012 at 9:57 pm By Ellen Painter Dollar

I take prescription painkillers every day, but I am not an addict. According to the Centers for Disease Control, we are in the midst of a “growing, deadly epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse,” marked by rising abuse rates along with rising rates of overdose and deaths by overdose. The CDC and others blame this epidemic on readily available opioid painkillers, thanks to a mash-up of legitimate prescriptions from legitimate doctors (for post-surgical or severe dental pain, for example, which often... Read more

The Life and Death of My Tattoo: Postscript

Last updated on: September 3, 2012 at 2:07 pm By Ellen Painter Dollar

People keep talking about my tattoo. Everyone has a different take on the story of how I considered getting a tattoo (for very concrete reasons having to do with my disability), went as far as choosing artwork, and then decided not to get a tattoo when my 8-year-old strenuously objected. (Here is the story for those who haven’t read it before.) K and A and several others were disappointed and hope that I reconsider my decision down the road. M ... Read more

Patheos (& Other) Peeps: Chris Travis on How Our Insignificant Work Becomes Significant

Last updated on: August 31, 2012 at 10:52 am By Ellen Painter Dollar

On Fridays, I publicize work by other writers. I focus often but not exclusively on writers affiliated with Patheos, the religion and spirituality web portal that hosts my blog. Please share the love by reading these writers’ blog posts and books, sharing them via Facebook, Twitter, etc., and/or participating in online conversations with them. When I initially picked up Chris Travis’s slim little book, InSignificant: Why You Matter in the Surprising Way God is Changing the World, I thought to myself,... Read more

Lessons from Acadia

Last updated on: August 29, 2012 at 12:38 pm By Ellen Painter Dollar

We just returned from a quick, relatively last-minute family trip to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine. It was a long drive (about seven hours each way) for just over two days of vacation, but oh so worth it. We decided on this trip earlier in August, after our 15th wedding anniversary on July 26 passed with only the most minimal of celebrations. Remembering how much we loved our Maine honeymoon, we decided to return there with the three... Read more

Patheos (& Other) Peeps: Rachel Marie Stone on Loving Our Neighbor By Getting Our Kids Vaccinated

Last updated on: August 22, 2012 at 12:32 pm By Ellen Painter Dollar

On Fridays, I share links to blog posts by other writers. I link often but not exclusively to writers affiliated with Patheos, the religion and spirituality web portal that hosts my blog. Please share the blog love by reading these posts, sharing them via Facebook, Twitter, etc., and/or participating in the comment conversation. My oh-so-brave friend Rachel Stone put herself on the line this week, by writing a post for Her.meneutics (the women’s blog on the Christianity Today web site)... Read more