First Words
Tired church jargon
Some buzzwords that are due for a sabbatical
Nontraditional weddings have become the norm
Part of me admires couples who don't pretend to be religious on their wedding day.
Prayer that makes hard hearts softer
When we pray for "the poor," do we think of actual people?
Imprinted on idols
Like goslings, we tend to attach ourselves to the wrong things—like political parties.
How Christian Trump voters chose fear over compassion
Fear is a terrific uniter, but it's a strange way to carve out a Christian life.
How Rep. Walter Jones has turned his guilt over the Iraq War into acts of empathy
The GOP congressman has sent nearly 12,000 letters to Americans whose loved ones died in the war he voted to authorize.
What we know and what I don't
All knowledge is communal, but that's easy to forget.
When churches fly like starlings
The birds fly without a designated leader. It takes them about 50 milliseconds to reach consensus.
Loving and protecting immigrants is a biblical command
The Hebrew Bible's instruction to love the neighbor appears only once. “Love the stranger” appears more than 35 times.
Remembering the things that give life
In occupied Paris, Yo-Yo Ma's father memorized Bach violin sonatas by day so he could play them during the blackout each night.
Are we sure we’re right?
When we fall in love with our own moral positions, we lose sight of how to stand up against evil.
Open tombs and opportunities
In the New Testament, the word door has many meanings.
Guns are Americans’ golden calf
What began as respect for the Second Amendment has morphed into a colossal idolatry of lethal weapons.
There once was a Wednesday named Ash
It's Lent, and we all know what that means: time for limericks.
Words we can't take back
How do we retool after we speak irreverently or caustically?
Jesus never promised to relieve our pain
Faith doesn't take away our suffering. It promises we're not alone.
Let us now praise church custodians
If I were to put up a plaque at church, I’d want it to honor our crew of sextons.
Going to church is inconvenient
If you haven't noticed, a lot of people are finding that worship doesn't fit their schedule.
A birthday present in the manger scene
We found a small, wrapped box next to Jesus. Should we open it?
Rock Island's 12-toed Jesus
Why did an early 20th-century artist leave us with a polydactyl Jesus? I have a few guesses.