Advent Reflections

Last updated on: December 5, 2011 at 9:44 am By Amy Julia Becker

Maybe next year I will remember ahead of time to recommend the book I use every Advent: God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas. It’s a beautiful set of daily readings from Scripture combined with color prints of paintings from throughout the ages that correspond with the days’ reading. Each week includes daily reflections by some of my favorite Christian writers and thinkers–Scott Cairns, Kathleen Norris, Richard John Neuhaus, Luci Shaw, Emilie Griffin, and a wonderful introduction by Eugene... Read more

A Good and Perfect Gift, Revisited

Last updated on: December 2, 2011 at 9:21 am By Amy Julia Becker

I have a new essay in the December issue of Christianity Today (and if you’re a subscriber, be sure to read it in the magazine because it includes two adorable photos of Penny that don’t appear online!) “My Perfect Child.” In my dad’s words, the article is a very abbreviated (he might have used the words “dumbed down,” but even if he did, I think abbreviated works) version of A Good and Perfect Gift. Which is true. So if you... Read more

They’re Growing Up

Last updated on: November 29, 2011 at 10:11 pm By Amy Julia Becker

I wanted to write a lyrical essay about our week in New Orleans for Thanksgiving. Something about the humidity and the colors on the houses and the Spanish moss and the streetcars. Something about laughter and good food and going to the zoo and family. Something about why travel is worth it even when it wears us out. But I’ve been sitting on those thoughts for four days now, and instead I’m just going to offer a few choice moments,... Read more

Penny and me on Time.com

Last updated on: November 29, 2011 at 9:37 pm By Amy Julia Becker

Bonnie Rochman has a new article at Time.com called “Are Kids With Down Syndrome on the Road to Extinction?” which features a picture of Penny and me and (on the second page) a few comments from a conversation we had a few weeks back. Although the new prenatal tests for Down syndrome have been covered in many news outlets lately, I commend this article for both the breadth and depth of coverage. And I’m curious–do you think a diagnosis of... Read more

Concluding the Abortion Debate–Did You Change Your Mind?

Last updated on: November 29, 2011 at 4:38 pm By Amy Julia Becker

A few final words, in the wake of the essays and discussion surrounding Christians who are pro-life and pro-choice, respectively. First of all, a big thank you to Karen and Ellen for the time and effort you both put into writing these pieces, engaging comments, and then following up with further answers to my questions. Secondly, a big thank you to readers who also engaged with respect and care. Although the conversation has provoked many thoughts for me, and, of... Read more

Questions for Ellen Painter Dollar on Being Pro-Choice Part Two

Last updated on: November 29, 2011 at 9:34 am By Amy Julia Becker

What restrictions would you put on reproductive choice? Fervent pro-choice advocates face a dilemma as reproductive technologies such as prenatal diagnosis, IVF, PGD, and surrogacy become more sophisticated and ubiquitous. The ability of parents to select the gender of their children, via either preimplantation genetic diagnosis to select embryos of the desired gender for transfer, or via abortion after ultrasound determines a fetus’s gender, illustrates this dilemma well. Again, to quote from my upcoming book: Because the pro-choice movement centers... Read more

Questions for Ellen Painter Dollar on Being Pro-Choice Part One

Last updated on: November 29, 2011 at 9:27 am By Amy Julia Becker

We have three more posts related to abortion–Ellen Painter Dollar’s answers to my questions, which will appear here this morning and this afternoon (and, in longer form, on Ellen’s blog Choices That Matter). And then tomorrow morning I will post a summary of what I’ve learned from this exchange. For now, my question for Ellen: Why is ending the existence of an embryo or fetus morally different than ending the life of a baby once s/he is born? In other... Read more

Questions for Karen Swallow Prior on Being Pro-Life

Last updated on: November 28, 2011 at 8:48 am By Amy Julia Becker

Two weeks ago, I posted two essays about abortion. In the first one, Karen Swallow Prior articulated “Why I Am Pro-Life.” In the second, Ellen Painter Dollar wrote “Why I Am Pro-Choice.” Both of these women are friends and colleagues, and I am very grateful to them and to those of you who read this blog and commented on both posts for maintaining a respectful and thoughtful dialogue surrounding these issues. As promised, here is the beginning of a few... Read more

Life, Love, Penny, an Interview with Stephanie Riggs

Last updated on: November 20, 2011 at 9:25 pm By Amy Julia Becker

I had an interview with Stephanie Riggs of Divine Calling in Denver last week. We had a chance to talk about what makes life interesting, the hard things that other people say, and how Penny is doing in kindergarten, among other topics. You can listen to the whole interview here. Read more

Happy Thanksgiving

Last updated on: November 20, 2011 at 9:42 pm By Amy Julia Becker

I’m thankful for God’s sweetness to us, which sounds very cheesy, but I use the word “sweet” because it is unnecessary and yet so kind of God to make sure we know we are loved. It has happened this year through answered prayer, through other people’s words, through songs and Bible verses, and unexpected phone calls. And it has happened through our children. So, with the absence of a photo that represents my gratitude for Peter’s new job, here’s a... Read more