A Politics of Compassion: Delight
If you’re anything like me, you want so badly to believe that you’re standing on the right side of an issue, and on the right side of history, and on the right side of God—and most of the time you’re pretty sure you are—that you can quickly turn penultimate things...
A Politics of Compassion: Kenosis
In my forthcoming book, I explore how, as people of faith, we are called to practice a politics of compassion in our broken world. What core commitments might inform how Christians respond to the most contentious issues of our day, such as health care, climate...
The Politics of Compassion: Kinship
With 91 days until the November 2020 Presidential Election, U.S. Americans are about to enter one of the most contentious political seasons in recent memory. How do we transcend the politics of contempt that dominates our country and turns friends into...
Foxhole Promises
With Memorial Day just a few days away, I’ve been reflecting on a conversation I had with a now-deceased parishioner who, along with more than 150,000 other soldiers, had stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. While he lived to tell about it, he often...
Darkness is Inevitable
“The Darkness Is Inevitable” Psalm 23 Last summer, when I planned our “Simply Put” sermon series, I had in my mind the image of a wise, venerable sage, in the sunset of his or her life, sitting at a desk with pen and paper in a quiet, lamp-lit study, transcribing for...
Mental Illness and the Christian Faith
Be Well Luke 8:26-39 “How are you?” It’s the most common question in all the world, in every culture. “How are you?” “Como esta?” “Comment allez-vous?” “Come Va?” In my household, it's ‘Wutz poppin’?” “Wutz buzzin cousin?” “How’s your gravy?” “ Wassabi?” How...