Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Ellen Painter Dollar

Home
Progressive Christian

Christianity

Select a Category disability ethics parenthood Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011

December 2013

December 30, 2013

This is What Angels Do

I pray that I will always be willing and able to respond to God’s call,...

December 23, 2013

God with Us, Even When Christmas Stinks

Many things can get in the way of the happy, sparkling Christmas celebrations to which...

December 18, 2013

A Busy Advent Doesn’t Make You a Bad Christian

When she was only two days old, my firstborn was the subject of an Advent...

December 17, 2013

Broken Ribs, Crooked Backs, & Seeing Our Vulnerable Selves Reflected in Another

Having a body that defies cultural norms as mine does (it is crooked, uneven, lumpy,...

December 13, 2013

On Grace, and Its Absence? One Year After Sandy Hook

It has been a year since I gathered with other parents in my children's elementary...

November 2013

November 26, 2013

What is Your Deep Gladness?

This past weekend, my church parish hall resonated with the voices of young actors and...

November 19, 2013

“We can just love them”: Adoptive Parents on Their Kids with Special Needs

In honor of National Adoption Month, I'm featuring below an excerpt from Love You More: The...

November 13, 2013

How to Promote Yourself (& Others) Without Driving People Crazy

In my online group of women writers, we've been discussing Kat Stoeffel's article on New York...

November 12, 2013

God is a Trick of the Light

It was a trick of the light, I knew. But oh, what a trick. Driving...

November 11, 2013

Redeeming My Grocery Routine to Feed Those Who Are Hungry

Of all the chores, I loathe grocery shopping the most. There are just so many...

October 2013

October 21, 2013

Pray Honestly. God Can Take It.

At my Episcopal church's Sunday service a few weeks ago, we read Psalm 137 aloud....

October 16, 2013

Did the Resurrection Happen? And Does It Matter?

Two fellow bloggers on the Patheos Progressive Christian Channel held a polite but pointed discussion...

September 2013

September 27, 2013

[Snapshots from Oak Ridge] What My Kids and My Garden Have in Common

I struggled to find a good photo subject for today's post. Right now, most of...

September 24, 2013

A Story About the Abundance, and Absence, of Memory and Faith

Walker has written a story about Alzheimer's, yes, and about her mother, and about her....

September 23, 2013

Why I Love Pope Francis’s Radical (Not Really) Take on the Gospel

I am enamored of Pope Francis. Every time he clarifies what he believes about the...

September 20, 2013

[Snapshots from Oak Ridge] I Wrote a Book. Want One?

I will confess something that will be not at all surprising to most of you,...

September 16, 2013

Did Jesus Get Cranky Too? Thoughts on an Incarnational Faith

I snapped at my daughter the other night over something trivial. As I helped her...

September 13, 2013

Finding God at Rock Bottom

Karen Beattie and her husband went through a difficult few years. She was unexpectedly laid...

September 03, 2013

Grappling for a Christian Response to Syria

Oh, but this is an uncomfortable place to be, this place of uncertainty, where we...

August 2013

August 29, 2013

Passing on the Faith: Community Trumps Theology

In church choir, my children are learning what it means not just to go to...

August 12, 2013

Mainline Churches—A New Home for Disaffected Evangelicals?

By now, it's old news that one in five Americans, including one-third of adults under 30,...

August 01, 2013

The Redemption of the Mundane: My Post at Convergent Books

There's a new imprint in town! Convergent Books is a division of Penguin Random House...

July 2013

July 18, 2013

I am Pro-Choice, But Jezebel Does Not Speak for Me

My friend and colleague Amy Julia Becker wrote a lovely post on the Christianity Today women's...

July 14, 2013

A Christian Argument for Stronger Gun Laws

Jesus was crystal clear on the question of whether violence is an acceptable response to...

July 10, 2013

Do I Love the Bible? It’s Complicated.

Christians like me, who lean left on political and social issues, are often accused of...

July 08, 2013

Resurrection Year: Learning to Live, and Thrive, with Life as It Is Given

Our Western cultural attitudes are not well-equipped for failure. We are a culture of optimists...

July 01, 2013

My Church Bells Rang in Celebration of DOMA’s Defeat

Last Thursday morning, the bells of my Episcopal church pealed to celebrate the Supreme Court's...

June 2013

June 24, 2013

Everyday Resurrections (& a New Bench)

This post is very slightly edited from its original version published last August. You'll note...

June 11, 2013

I Have a Kid Hangover (But Manage to Write Anyway)

The past thirteen-plus years for me have been one long exercise in welcoming the messy,...

May 2013

May 28, 2013

How Poverty Affects Vaccination Rates

Last fall I pointed blog readers to my colleague Rachel Stone's post on vaccination as...