I usually go from my home in the Oak Hill neighborhood of Pawtucket to the church on College Hill in Providence’s East Side by driving along Hope Street, which follows along the spine of the large hill that is the East Side. Along my way I pass a Baptist church. It has one of those message boards. Often the sayings posted are barely truisms, trite, obvious, and occasionally embarrassing for the constricted view they expose. I like them because they... Read more

Theophilus Lindsey was born on this day in 1723. It addition to having the coolest name, he is the founder of institutional Unitarianism in Great Britain. He certainly wasn’t the first Unitarian, the list of people holding unitarian views before him is in fact quite long. An Anglican priest, Lindsey joined with a total of two hundred and fifty clergy, including bishops, who petitioned Parliament to lift the requirement that candidates for holy orders in the Church subscribe to the... Read more

Aung San Suu Kyi turned sixty-five today. The last freely elected prime minister of Burma, she has spent fifteen of her past twenty birthdays either in prison or under house arrest. It could be worse. She resides in the countryside in a crumbling mansion in a decaying compound surrounded by troops. But it isn’t good. In the ensuing years her exiled husband has died, her children have grown and given birth to their children. All with her imprisoned. And her... Read more

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Our local NPR station has a series called “This I Believe” which features local people spouting on various things. It can be silly, and it can be quite moving. While I mainly listen to the radio while driving somewhere and so don’t actually follow any shows or even segments of shows, it is among the bits I feel particularly pleased to capture on my Mr Toad’s wild rides around town… The other day a rabbi I know and rather admire... Read more

my literary friends, and those who look for an excuse to lift a pint in honor of James Joyce… Read more

I just read this and it made me go and listen to her song again… Read more

Evelyn Underhill was very important for me as I was trying to put my spiritual life in order. I see that the Anglican communion has designated today as her feast day. I’m so glad… Read more

Jimmy Dean died yesterday. Couldn’t help think of his working man’s classic… What particularly moves me is how this song so deeply called to a certain class of American’s in its day. People who didn’t and actually still don’t have much of a say in things. They work hard, but don’t advance. Just working stiffs. In the culture wars my views seem often at odds with theirs. But not always. I share their admiration for people who will put it... Read more

On this day in 1846 various malcontents started the Bear Flag Revolt, an opportunistic action in the middle of the Mexican American war, creating the California Republic. The next day William B. Idedeclared himself president, a reign which would last a mere twenty-five days before he and the rest of the Bear Flagers would join John Freemont’s American forces. With that California’s future was settled. Other than as a footnote, and the origin of the state’s flag, there isn’t much... Read more