In case you’re just tuning in, this post is part of a series based on talks I gave a few weeks back. It’s picking up on the idea that if we, as humans, are to know of God’s existence, it is up to God to let us know: If I were God, how would I cross the ontological divide? How would I let everyone know that I exist? Maybe I’d use an airplane with a banner, or send a mass... Read more

Two follow up thoughts on the previous post. One, driving up I-95 with two screaming children on Thursday night made me wonder whether I was delusional in writing about the joy of having children. Of course, what I wrote about was the joy that comes in self-sacrifice, and the drive wasn’t exactly self-sacrificial (we were headed to Connecticut for our own pleasure, not because Penny or William had requested it!). Two, I recognize that most of the “self-sacrifice” in my... Read more

New post on the Park Forum: Mammograms and Mortality Read more

I’ve been thinking recently of the idea that Christians are called to self-sacrificial love, to carry our cross, etc. And I look at my life and wonder–do I do this? On some level, I’m sure the answer is no. But on another level, yes. I just don’t think of it as self-sacrifice. When William cries in the night, or when I miss a day of classes because Penny needs surgery, or when I slowed down for a few years so... Read more

New post on the Park Forum: Pop Culture and Jesus Read more

I had the opportunity to read from Penelope Ayers with a wonderful group of women last night. They asked great questions about writing and reading and the ways in which coming to know Penny, my mother-in-law, changed who I am. One of the things we talked about, in the large group and then afterwards with a few individuals, was the way in which we as a culture would like to avoid, ignore, deny, overcome, our bodies. Bodies are messy. They... Read more

Two years ago, we had a group of seniors over for dinner to talk about science and religion. Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, an agnostic and an atheist, all sitting around our table together. It was a good conversation, but at the end of the night, they seemed to agree that it was impossible to know for sure whether God existed. They also, for the most part, agreed that it was impossible to know for sure if God didn’t exist. The... Read more

Whether or not you believe that these were two literal human beings in a Garden in the Middle East thousands of years ago, the story of Genesis 2-3 rings true. Because we make the same decision all the time. The history of humanity, and the story of our own lives, is one of choosing ourselves instead of God. Now don’t get me wrong. There’s something wonderful about our ability to choose, something that I believe was given to us by... Read more

Since “Life without God” isn’t exactly good fodder for Thanksgiving Day, I’ll come back to those thoughts over the weekend… For now, a quick reminder of what this day is all about. I was sitting with Penny this morning and told her, “Pen, today is a day when we get to think of all the people and things we feel thankful for. Do you know what it means to feel thankful? It’s when we…” “Feel happy and special.” “That’s right.... Read more

If God is good, and God’s creation is good, then why is the world the way it is? In the talk series I presented last weekend, I argued that the world is the way it is because we humans–individually, collectively, now and throughout history–choose to live without God: Let me explain what I mean when I say we live without God. First, we live life without a sense of God’s presence. We might feel some spiritual or divine connection when... Read more