First Person
Delivered through the waters
The Red Sea, the baptistery, and the birth canal
Occupation pierces my Israeli soul
Jewish history tells me to be both compassionate and alert. When it comes to the Palestinian conflict, I don't know how to do both at once.
Indulgence: Essays by readers
We gave our readers a one-word writing prompt: “indulgence.”
Delivered through the waters
The Red Sea, the baptistery, and the birth canal
What I learned as a student of James Cone's
Cone was a profoundly biblical thinker. His Christology captured my imagination.
Talking about racism on a college bus trip
The tension was palpable. Then a white student stood up and said something I've never forgotten.
Reading Elie Wiesel after fleeing Rwanda
You cannot bear witness with a single word like genocide. Yet Night describes exactly what happened to me.
I let the Holy Spirit see my dirty laundry
I was counting on her discretion.
The day I revealed to the other moms that I'm a bad Christian
Of all the things I could have gone donkey nuts over, it was "quiet time" that pushed me over the edge.
Confessions of a (moderate) prude
I am finally old enough to admit something: the mysteries of adulthood, those "mature themes" we try to hide from the young, are mostly stupid.
Southern Rail's gospel music for the journey
I listen to these songs with a longing for the unshakeable faith they express.
When I needed a gratitude intervention
"Write down one thing you are thankful for," said my friend. "Just one."
Jacob and the angel, as told by the angel
I'm authorized to open seals, drive the chariot of fire, and pour out bowls of judgment. But wrestling someone?
Spiritual detours
Sometimes prayer takes us where we don't intend to go.
The springtime gift of sorrel
The perennial plant's tightly furled leaves emerge in March, pushing aside wintry desolation.
A stitched-together community
One day Bill didn't show up at the church, so we went to find him.
Why I smuggled liberation theology books into Argentina
In a time of terror, the seminary needed the contraband words of Gustavo Gutiérrez.
Grappling with race as a white college chaplain
I can choose to be in situations where I feel uncomfortable. My students of color can't.
George Lindbeck was the best teacher I ever had
He was known for the intellectual rigor of The Nature of Doctrine. But what drove him was a commitment to Christian unity.
Billy is undocumented. Should I marry him?
We thought we had a good plan, but the lawyer said it might not work.