-
·
The Public Id
The problem with demagogues is never their action. By the time they have the power to act, it is much too late to stop them. The problem is their speech. It intoxicates and infuriates. It draws all the moths to its fiery substance and burns us with its hatred. [bctt tweet=”‘The danger is in the…
-
·
The Impractical Life
At some point we have to pick. Some pick at three. I’m a golfer. Or at seventy-three. I’m a priest. We pick a path. A life. Too often, though, we let a life pick us. [bctt tweet=”‘How will you help change the world?’” nofollow=”yes”] I always struggled with the question of what I want to be when I grow…
-
·
Why I Won’t Debate You
We have had a lovely time debating here on Facebook/Twitter/social media. And I have enjoyed this conversation immensely, what with all the reading and responding. I can honestly say that you have caused me to think more thoroughly about my own positions and to honestly consider yours as well. But now I’m going to have to…
-
·
Blessed To Make Peace
For our darkest hours Jesus gives us a vision of the Kingdom of GOD and the blessed community. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the…
-
·
City With No Children
I’ve loved this song from the moment it first came through the car’s speakers. From Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, it speaks of desperation and the isolation, trapped feel of that location. Beautifully haunting, youthful, aging, wistful and anguished. Pure pop genius. It has lingered lately. That sense expanded beyond the suburbs, to the country, the continent.…
-
·
What’s Religion Got To Do With It? Everything.
We are having a massive, global communication problem. All because we can’t agree on what the word “religion” really means. ISIS and Religion It shouldn’t be that hard to describe a group’s religiosity. ISIS or ISIL is a group, founded in a religious ideology. That is true at its most basic level. It is composed of religious…
-
·
If ISIS Were Christian
Imagine if a random dude one day declares that he is the pope. This man isn’t completely random, perhaps. He’s got friends. He’s connected. Of course those connections aren’t Roman Catholic. He’s a member of the Army of God. He’s an activist. He’s proudly helped shut down clinics. He claims credit for radicalizing a young man…
-
·
Weaning From Outrage
As I drove north, along I-70 into Indianapolis, then taking I-69 all the way up to the wilds of the back roads north of Lansing, I listened to podcast after podcast. It was a time to catch up on the backlog, and it seems that a trio of shows has cultivated a moment, a sense…