Frequently, my conservative commenters suggest I will be immediately straightened out if I just “read the Bible. It’s the Word of God.” Sigh. They don't know just how deeply the Bible had shaped me—its stories, lessons, contradictions and moralizing. Not until I entered the classroom as a newly-minted professor did I realize just how much it was a part of my DNA. Read more
I generally stay away from cranking out immediate blog posts in response to what’s happening in the news on a particular day. I generally stay away from turning my blog into a vehicle for a political agenda. But what’s happening today is different. We have a Racist-in-Chief. He’s not even trying to hide or temper his racism. He’s doubling down on it. Let me speak directly to those who claim to be Christian, since that’s who this channel on Patheos... Read more
Not long ago, Jeanne and I saw “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, the documentary about Fred Rogers that has already become the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all time. We tend to judge the movies we see based on the quality of conversation that we have about it on the way home. My first comment was “If Jesus came back to earth today, he would be Fred Rogers.” There are moral standards, and then there is Mister Rogers. The movie reminded... Read more
People are prone to apply the meaning of other people’s arguments to suit opinions that they have previously determined in their minds. Michel de Montaigne The other day, I found myself involved in a discussion on a progressive Christian Facebook page, a site that frequently shares my blog posts. The article under discussion was directed primarily at evangelical Christians, wondering what they thought about the fact that Jesus in the gospels regularly speaks and acts as if he believes in... Read more
It is clear that immigration and the southern U.S. border are going to be central issues for the next many months as we move our way toward the next Presidential election, along with income disparity, social inequality, health care, and any dozen other matters you care to focus on. I’ve been thinking over the past few days about a couple of books that I read during Winter Break last late December and early January, both of which—in different ways—shed light... Read more
I am currently in the middle of working through the proofs of my forthcoming book, the last time I have the opportunity to change anything. And, as my editor directly reminded me, my opportunity to change anything significant has passed. This final time through is only for punctuation, misspellings, and a few other minor matters. It’s an exciting time. For a writer, this point in the book process is what I imagine being 8.5 months pregnant is like–minus the discomfort,... Read more
In the early hours of a Sunday morning not long ago, I read the final pages of Daša Drndić’s Trieste, the most powerful, unrelenting and unforgiving book related to the Holocaust I have ever read. As a reviewer for Amazon wrote, “Trieste is not a book for the faint-hearted, either in style or subject. . . . Enter if you are brave enough, and if you stay the course you will be changed.” No one—those in authority, the church, those who turned... Read more
I think it’s time for us to get a little bit more uncompromising in our defense of compromise. Jonathan Rauch One of the many benefits of getting up early on Sunday morning in order to make the 8:00 service at church is that I can catch the last fifteen minutes of Krista Tippett’s radio program “On Being” as I drive. I first became aware of Krista several years ago when I was on sabbatical at the ecumenical institute in Minnesota where she... Read more
I think that a lot of people stop taking their birthdays seriously after a certain age—perhaps fifty. Jeanne and I, however, still expect to be the center of attention on our birthdays, and also expect the spouse who is not having the birthday to plan a few surprises or two. For Jeanne’s birthday two summers ago, we celebrated with a twenty-mile bike ride to the Audubon Society’s environmental education center, a surprise dinner with close friends at a restaurant on... Read more
If you got to choose the manner of your death, what would your choice be? In his Essais, Michel de Montaigne encourages his readers to take ownership of the freedom each of us has concerning our demise: Why do you complain of this world? It does not hold you: if you live in pain, your cowardice is the cause; to die all that is needed is the will . . . The most voluntary death is the fairest . .... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In