First Words
Hostile architecture
In metro areas today, park benches are becoming an endangered species.
Welfare for the wealthy
Half of all business meal expenses are tax deductible. This puts SNAP cuts in helpful perspective.
The interesting life
There is value in experiencing a wide range of emotions each day.
Checking (and rechecking) the weather
When we’re obsessed with the forecast, we may miss what’s happening in the present.
The scandal of the anti-intellectual mind
Why are so many Christians opposed to science and captivated by conspiracy theories?
We need a better masculinity
I stumbled upon a helpful book recently that sheds light on some of the more troubling myths of manliness.
Finding our way
The mental maps we make tell us who we are and where we belong.
Why aren’t people coming back?
A letter to pastors and churchgoers who wonder what happened to the prepandemic church they knew.
Who’s responsible for coincidence?
Our spiritual lives would grow if we could step beyond the false notion that God arranges our circumstances.
The menacing turn in our politics
Too many powerful people in public positions today refuse to repudiate the language of threat.
Thoughtful, independent, progressive
What’s behind the Century’s new tagline?
Concretizing the word
Judicial originalism is biblical literalism’s younger cousin.
Good citizenship starts on the playground
Through play, children acquire fundamental skills for living cooperatively with others.
The Second Amendment has been shaped into an altar
Cowardly politicians sacrifice the helpless upon it.
Looking ahead
Life isn’t meant to be lived in the rearview mirror.
Love’s knowledge
We learn the most from those with whom we have a strong emotional bond.
Ukraine’s sleepless children
A failed high school science experiment increased my empathy for those who can’t sleep.
The courage to admit that we have blind spots
This acknowledgment is at the heart of Christianity.
Good parenting is rooted in warm relationships
But sometimes it also requires clever tactics.
Tears are a gift from God
They put us in touch with essential things that we know to be dear or wrong.