Two quotations worth pondering, the first from one of the most influential thinkers of the past two centuries: “With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the... Read more

New Post on the Park Forum: “Obama’s Take on Good and Evil“ Read more

(I’m in the midst of writing final papers for the two classes I’ve taken this semester. The following thoughts were prompted by a paper for my class on Human Uniqueness from a Theological and Biological perspective…) The Christian Church has a long history of determining that certain humans were more human than others. Some were deemed defective, and therefore, not created in God’s image. The mentally disabled were often at the top of that list because, it was assumed, to... Read more

New Post on the Park Forum: Ethics and Immigration. Incidentally, I recommend reading the NYT article upon which this is based. Not every day that a pastor prays his way onto a plane in order to comfort an Indonesian at risk of deportation… Read more

As we walked away from Penny’s annual IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting yesterday, I said to Peter, “I think Penny goes to the best pre-school in the nation.” I’m not kidding. For an hour, five professionals sat in a conference room and talked about our child. The child development expert, her classroom teacher, her speech therapist, occupational therapist and physical therapist. Each of them knows Penny. They know that she’s stubborn. That she likes to be in control. That she’s... Read more

We drove to Maryland and back yesterday for our fourth annual Danish Christmas celebration (Peter’s family on his dad’s side is Danish). Six hours in the car, three of which included steady rain. Two children who skipped naps (although as a result they were blissfully asleep at 6 pm in the back seat). 400 miles traveled. No church. No family rest. Kids got a dinner of cheese and crackers in their car seats. We came home to a sink full... Read more

A Catholic friend of mine texted me earlier in the week to remind me it was the “Feast of the Immaculate Conception.” Her message read: “Think about how her (Mary’s) yes shaped our faith.” I don’t spend much time thinking about Mary, and I suspect this lack of attention is my loss. Nonetheless, I thought about her a bit this week, and it struck me that not only did God become human in the person of Jesus, but God relied... Read more

New Post on The Park Forum: “The Moral Mess of Abortion“ Read more

I had the chance to speak with two high school creative writing classes yesterday. I read portions of Penelope Ayers and they asked questions–How did you decide to make this story public? How many times did you rewrite the opening chapters? (And by the way, the answer there is somewhere between 30 and 50, I lost count) How long did it take? The question I’ve thought about the most since then came at the end: “If you want to write... Read more

Matthew 1:23, quoting from the prophet Isaiah: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, ‘God with us’.” God didn’t advertise His love and presence for us by billboards in the sky. Instead, he came down and lived among us in the person of Jesus. And let me take you back to that story of Peter coming to visit me after he had been a jerk (see... Read more