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October 2020

October 12, 2020

All Things are Become New: A reminder of why teaching is the best profession of all

I realized this morning that exactly seven years ago, the beautiful humanities building on our...

October 11, 2020

The Gospel According to Marilynne Robinson

This is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it. Marilynne...

October 08, 2020

Bombing Raids and a Spark of the Divine

Perhaps a novel whose main character is the squadron leader for World War II bombing...

October 06, 2020

On Earth, as it is in Heaven: Why Faith is Always Political

Last Sunday, it was my turn to be lector at church. The reading from the...

October 01, 2020

Take a Deep Breath

Jeanne and I did not watch the presidential "debate" on Tuesday evening, choosing instead to...

September 2020

September 27, 2020

“It has been done in your name”: When Christians do un-Christian things

One of my teaching teammates this semester in the interdisciplinary course I regularly participate in...

September 24, 2020

Karl Marx and the Parable of the Vineyard Owner

My college campus is in the middle of a (hopefully) temporary lockdown, due to a...

September 17, 2020

The Dangers of Cognitive Immorality

An item popped up on my Facebook news feed not long ago reporting that Harper...

September 10, 2020

Silence: The Best Answer to Prayer

I, as many people of faith, have often wondered why the divine is so apparently...

September 06, 2020

What it Truly Means to be Free

Iris Murdoch is one of my favorite philosophers and novelists, but I seldom get to...

September 03, 2020

Love is the Discovery of Reality: A Story About Learning to See Things Differently

Iris Murdoch was one of the philosophers whose work was front and center in my...

September 01, 2020

How to Sound Knowledgeable About Things that You Know Nothing About

In 1980, famed science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote the following in an opinion piece for...

August 2020

August 27, 2020

Speaking the Truth in a Culture of Lies

Just short of a year ago, I spent a Saturday morning listening to a lecture...

August 21, 2020

The Big Sister I Always Wanted: Remembering Marsue

Every once in a while, our lives are blessed with a person who uniquely and...

August 19, 2020

When the Bible is Not the Word of God

This month marks the eighth anniversary of this blog. It started on Wordpress as an...

August 16, 2020

What if my “Best Self” isn’t that Good?

My first teaching position was at a small university in Memphis. My department was the...

August 06, 2020

Silence is Not Always Golden: Class Participation in a Pandemic

Classes start on my college campus three weeks from this coming Monday. Let’s just say...

August 04, 2020

What if God Doesn’t Want to be Found?

Summer is a time for catching up on my non-philosophy reading and finding new authors....

July 2020

July 26, 2020

Why are Christians So Angry and Fearful?

I am currently working my way through Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s brand new book Jesus...

July 21, 2020

Roofs, Vineyards, and the Kingdom of Heaven

Last Wednesday, after three delays (one our fault, two their fault), our house got a...

July 19, 2020

How is Your Optimism Doing These Days?

How is your optimism doing these days? I am an optimist by nature, not inclined...

July 16, 2020

Donald Trump, Roger Stone, and the Difference Between Pardoning and Forgiving

With Donald Trump’s commutation of Roger Stone’s prison sentence last week, we are reminded once...

July 12, 2020

The Christian Faith in One Sentence

This morning I have the privilege of giving the sermon at Trinity Episcopal Church in...

June 2020

June 28, 2020

Death is Not Optional

I’ve been thinking a lot about end of life issues lately. Really. They seem to...

June 25, 2020

Why Did Jesus Tell Stories? Because All Good Teachers Do

Man is in his actions and practices, as well as in his fictions, essentially a...

June 23, 2020

Does the Arc of the Moral Universe Really Bend Toward Justice?

Former President Obama loved to quote a hopeful statement from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:...

June 18, 2020

Donald Trump’s Ponzi Scheme

If you are looking for a new novel to read, may I recommend Emily St....

June 16, 2020

Confronting the Sin of Certainty

If you think you understand it, it is not God. Soren Kierkegaard In Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer...

June 14, 2020

What Does Life Expect of Me?

Over the years, a typical scenario has unfolded when I meet someone for the first...

June 12, 2020

God Doesn’t Own Us . . . God Loves Us

If you got to choose the manner of your death, what would your choice be?...

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