There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” The two young fish swim on for a bit; eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?” David Foster Wallace opened his 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College with this amusing parable, using it to set up some reflections on how,... Read more
Man is in his actions and practices, as well as in his fictions, essentially a story-telling animal. Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue I run into issues related to storytelling all the time on this blog. Although the name of the blog is “Freelance Christianity,” and it is published on Patheos’ “Progressive Christian” channel, I regularly attract comments from readers who do not fit those categories by any stretch of the imagination. Occasionally, someone using arguments and language I recognize from my... Read more
“Now abide faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.” These words from the apostle Paul are heard at many, perhaps most, weddings. Everyone wants to believe that love is the greatest, especially on their wedding day. Faith seems to be part of my DNA—challenging it, trying to get rid of it, redefining it, being confused by it, and generally struggling with the “f-word” (as I call it in the classroom) has shaped me for as long... Read more
Regular readers of this blog, or even those who just occasionally drop in, know that I am a college basketball fanatic, particularly for the Providence College Friars. To say that the last few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for Friars fans is the understatement of the year. The 2021-22 season was one for the ages. The Friars won the Big East regular season championship for the first time in school history, then made it to the Sweet Sixteen... Read more
In the interdisciplinary program I teach in and used to direct, the first semester faculty have to make many tough choices. Iliad or Odyssey? What texts from the Hebrew Scriptures? The New Testament? What to use from Plato and Aristotle–or, God forbid, Plato or Aristotle? And no less challenging—which of the triumvirate of great Greek tragedians? Usually it is a toss-up between the profundity of Sophocles and the brilliance of Euripides, but in one recent fall semester, my teammate and I opted for the... Read more
The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty Anne Lamott As is our custom, Jeanne and I watched Franco Zefferelli’s classic “Jesus of Nazareth”–all six hours of it–during the recently ended Holy Week. Jesus’ disciple Thomas, the focus of today’s gospel reading, is presented as the servant of Jairus, the wealthy man whose daughter Jesus raises from the dead. Since he is the one who sent word to Jairus that his daughter has died, Thomas takes great umbrage when... Read more
Thanks to the calendar, we get three extra days to file our taxes this year (next Tuesday, April 18th). Not as good as the extra three months in 2020 and the extra month in 2021 that we got in the pandemic years, but three extra days is three extra days. But just like death, taxes are inevitable. According to a recent New Yorker cartoon, it’s an open question as to which is worse. Permit me to state the obvious: No... Read more
A few days ago on campus I detected a familiar, seasonal odor wafting on the breeze. “I love the smell of mulch in the morning!” I thought as I walked past some landscaping guys. They were spraying mulch through a hose into one of the many areas on campus where there will be beautiful flowers soon. If I had that setup at home, I would be able to provide our bushes and trees with enough mulch for the season in... Read more
God is not an insurance agent. H. G. Wells If you are a college basketball fan, you know who Rick Pitino is. He recently signed a contract to be the head coach of the St. John’s University Red Storm, bringing with him a long career of success as a coach as well as a lot of personal baggage. During his tenure as the coach of the Boston Celtics from 1997-2001, Pitino was often asked about when, if ever, the then-mediocre... Read more
During the college basketball season, I occasionally watch a replay of the Providence Friars’ most recent game (when we win) the next day. The moment to moment drama can be tense in replay, even when we know what the outcome will be. We never watch a loss the next day—why submit ourselves voluntarily to an experience that we know ends badly? Even the worst of times can be weathered and perhaps appreciated when one knows that things work out in... Read more
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