A conversation involving a bunch of guys at a sports bar waiting for the big game to begin: “Dude, I’ve got one for you. There are these seven brothers named Aaron, Bill, Carl, Dave, Eric, Fred and George. Aaron’s the oldest one and he marries his high school girlfriend Paula. But he dies and Bill marries Paula because he thinks it’s the right thing to do.” “That’s kind of weird. Is Paula hot?” “What does that matter? “If I was... Read more
I’ve been thinking a lot about end of life issues lately. Really. They seem to be showing up everywhere–on the television show we are currently binge-watching, in my readings in the Psalms, in Montaigne’s Essais that I am reading through this summer, in a lead article in the Atlantic that just came in the mail, in a novel I am rereading that will be the first assignment in my ethics class in the fall. You know who never talks about end of... Read more
The lectionary readings for today include two fascinating texts from Scripture: Elijah collapsed under a broom tree in First Kings, and a bunch of demons cast into a herd of pigs in Luke’s gospel. Lucky me: I’m giving the sermon today at the Episcopal church I attend, then leading a monthly discussion group afterwards! Here’s what I’ll be saying: This year is the centenary of the birth of Iris Murdoch. Her life bookended the twentieth century (she died after several... Read more
Broken windows and empty hallways, a pale dead moon and a sky streaked with gray. Human kindness is overflowing, and I think it’s going to rain today. Randy Newman Jeanne and I are television binge-watchers. Long gone are the bad old days when you had to wait a week for each new episode of a favorite series, or wait by the mailbox for the next disc to come from Netflix or Blockbuster (remember them?). Now we can binge-watch a whole season... Read more
Norway is in the news—last week President Trump mentioned Norway as an example of a country he would listen to if they claimed to have dirt to offer on one of his opponents, and a Norwegian-owned freighter was one of two freighters (the other was Japanese) attacked in the Persian Gulf. Trump seems to have Norway on his mind on random occasions; shortly after he became President, he was reported to have complained about immigrants always coming from “shithole” countries... Read more
Next to Lent, the part of the liturgical calendar that I have always found least attractive is the stretch of endless weeks in green from Pentecost to the Sunday after Thanksgiving: Ordinary Time. Catholics and Episcopalians (as well as many other Christian denominations) follow the same liturgical calendar and readings—I recall that, when on sabbatical a decade ago, a fellow resident scholar at the ecumenical institute where I was spending four months, who happened to be Catholic, told me that... Read more
One of the most important tasks that an author has to face when a book is in the late stages of the publication process is the dedication. This usually happens late in the process, when your editor is hard at work making your prose more readable, the marketing people are asking you to fill out forms that include contact information for acquaintances and colleagues who might not be too embarrassed to write a blurb, and you have finally realized that... Read more
This August will mark my seventh year of blogging, the last two and a half of those years here on Patheos. During a sabbatical ten years ago, I began writing in a personal, non-academic essay style that was a sharp break from the academic writing that I had been doing (because I had to) for twenty years. I liked writing in this new way, found it both therapeutic (in a spiritual practice sort of way) and stimulating, but had no... Read more
Last week Jeanne and I went with a friend to see the Elton John biopic “Rocketman.” You should see it if you haven’t—well worth your time. No spoilers here, except to say that if you love Sir Elton’s music as I do, you’ll love the movie. I’ve been an Elton-o-phile for many years; a few years ago, Jeanne got me a ticket to an Elton John concert here in Providence the day after he celebrated his 60th birthday. His “Goodbye... Read more
Jeanne and I watched a documentary not long ago called “Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action,” created, filmed and directed by a man with the fabulous name “Velcrow Ripper.” He is the cousin-in-law of a colleague and friend of Jeanne’s who made the recommendation. The movie was beautifully constructed and filmed, as well as being very thought-provoking. The central thread of the documentary traces various ways in which people seek spiritual growth and reality that are seldom located in traditionally religious... Read more
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