We live in an age where it increasingly feels like everyone has to be right. Perhaps this phenomenon is enhanced by the fact that nearly everyone now has a platform upon which to display their every thought and whim. Most people have a social media network of at least several hundred–often many more–friends and followers with whom they are all too willing and eager to share their views (I’m pointing the finger at myself here, too. I have over 2,000... Read more
Dear Donald, You, sir, are in my head. I think about you an awful lot–probably too much. I’ve never thought about any other president–or any public figure, for that matter–as much as I seem to think about you. I’ve written so many articles about you that, frankly, I’ve long since lost count. I’m sure you’ve never read any of them, but quite a few people have. I’ll save you the search and just go ahead and let you know that... Read more
I never gave them a second thought when I bought these shoes. It didn’t really matter what brand they were. I was more interested in things like comfort, look, and value. The fact that they are Nikes just meant that these shoes stood out as the best deal for me on the day that I bought them. Now they mean something more–something much more. Now, the fact that my Nikes are still intact and on my feet instead of in... Read more
We are quickly approaching that season where churches across the nation will begin handing out voters’ guides to sway their flock to vote for the candidates that best suit that church’s predetermined political agenda. The constitutionality of such voting guides is highly questionable given the fact that churches enjoy tax-free status and thus should probably stay out of the political game due to the Establishment Clause. But we all know what goes on and if you’ve been a part of... Read more
Displaying an American Flag upside down is a recognized symbol of distress. The U.S. flag code states that the flag should only be displayed upside down when there is extreme danger to life or property. It isn’t meant to be a protest symbol. When I posted the picture atop this article I didn’t do it lightly. This isn’t a protest. This is a time of extreme danger. Our nation is sick and our immune system–our Constitution–is in grave danger. There... Read more
The Hoosier State has been at the forefront of the controversial school voucher program. Few states rank ahead of Indiana in the amount of public funds used by parents to send their children to private schools. Depending upon your point of view, this fact might please you or fill you with dread. But as a leader in the school choice voucher game, Indiana is also a lightning rod for the controversy that comes along with it. Anyone with a basic... Read more
Just look at what we have become. Every day, there is a new batch of viral videos all over social media that show bigotry, racism, and hatred being spewed from the mouths of angry, nationalistic whites who have been emboldened by the not-so-enigmatic dog whistle rhetoric issuing forth from the White House under that oh-so-catchy mantra, Make America Great Again. I have written tirelessly about my growing uneasiness with the fact that so many conservative Christians seem to be willing... Read more
At some level, I think everyone can feel it. Likely, many are too afraid to come out and say it, but they feel it just the same. Not long ago, I wrote about it. Yes, the once unthinkable scenario of another civil war in the U.S. is suddenly thinkable. In fact, despite my natural propensity for optimism, I am beginning to be incapable of imagining the coming election cycles ending without some sort of bloodshed. I hate that I just... Read more
He was a man of deep Christian faith, an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a Republican. Yet, he angered the Christian Right with his message. He must have been doing something right. As I watched the new documentary about Fred Rogers yesterday, I was greatly moved, sometimes to tears, by this sweet, gentle man who was such a big part of my childhood. I was moved by his assertion that love, or the lack of it, is at the core of... Read more
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When This is Over…
At some point, this is all going to be over. Eventually, this has to end. I’m hoping that when it does, things will go back to some sort of normalcy. Our nation’s history is a series of pendulum swings from left to right and back again. The nature of our nation, thanks to our Constitution with its checks and balances, is that we are always self-correcting. When we feel ourselves shifting too far in one direction, we always reel ourselves... Read more