The End, in its technical sense, for which one lives shapes one’s entire life. If one’s End is the Final Judgment, one will become holy. If one’s End is the needs of others, one will become compassionate. Bunyan, Edwards, even Dante, had the Final Judgment as their End. Henri Nouwen, Jean Vanier, and Jim Wallis focus on the needs of others. Is anything more formative for life than one’s End, and is anything more difficult to find than a life... Read more
Social justice is the name of the game today for the progressive evangelical. The new heroes include writers like Ronald Sider and Jim Wallis, Christian Smith and Michael Emerson. But, so it seems to me, few are asking the right question: what is social justice for the Christian? For most Christians, when they enter the public fray, often called the Public Forum, the definition of “justice” is determined by the US Constitution. And the US Constitution, even if only hazily... Read more
In the last three or so years I have been struck, through my reading of the most influential writers on Christian spiritual formation, by how many of them were committed to the “divine offices”. “Divine offices” refers to a rhythmical prayer life. These Christians prayed three times a day (in the monastic traditions even more often), but in so doing they didn’t just sit down to pray. Instead, they prayed “set” prayers and did so with a community committed to... Read more
This post is by Mimi Haddad. For years, everyone wondered why my father had difficulty getting dressed, reading maps, and fixing appliances. We later learned the root of his trouble. During his pilot’s training course it was discovered that my father is color blind. He confuses primary colors and has trouble discerning colors that are similar to one another. Despite his best efforts, my father was denied a pilot’s license because he could not find the red switch on the... Read more
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