First Words
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.
People don't "pass away"
Imagine talking about birth the way we talk about death.
No one is anonymous
When we baptize, we baptize individual people who have names.
The military doesn't own the American flag
The controversy over athletes kneeling during the national anthem reveals America's unholy trinity of patriotism, militarism, and sports.
A religious test from Dianne Feinstein?
The senator's questioning of a Catholic judicial nominee misrepresented the nature of faith—and overstepped the spirit, at least, of the Constitution.
Don’t be bored, read the Century
Our staff operates under the premise that life is never dull.
The slow creep of injustice
When toxicity grows gradually, we get used to it. But we don't have to.