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Marilynne Robinson

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March 2019

March 17, 2019

Why I Am Done Trying to Prove the Existence of God

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

January 2019

January 24, 2019

Creating the World in the Classroom

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle, a thousand pieces or more. There is no box showing what...

January 21, 2019

America is not a Christian Nation . . . and That’s a Good Thing

I recently found out from the editors of Bearings Online, an online magazine that I contribute...

December 2018

December 02, 2018

Advent and the Blessing of Being Human

Each Advent for the past eight years, I have had the privilege of giving a...

October 2018

October 25, 2018

What to Do When You Get Tired of Being Angry

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Ephesians 4:26 Another week, another bunch of...

October 07, 2018

It Don’t Matter

It's been a rough couple of months at our house, as two members of the...

June 2018

June 23, 2018

Is America a Christian Nation? Should It Be?

A question that is almost guaranteed to start an argument in some circles goes to...

June 19, 2018

Be Careful What You Vote For

An annual musical fixture of my Baptist upbringing was the Easter Cantata. Each year on...

May 2018

May 24, 2018

Ruining the Christian Brand

In “Slander,” from her latest collection of essays, What Are We Doing Here?, Marilynne Robinson...

March 2018

March 25, 2018

The Feather of Grace, or How To Keep Donald Trump and Evangelical Christians From Corrupting Your Faith

At its best, faith is the overflow of gratitude, the attempt to live as if...

February 2018

February 04, 2018

Keeping Hope Alive

The theme of a philosophy conference that I attended a couple of years ago was...

January 2018

January 28, 2018

Changing the Water

A few weeks ago, Jeanne said “I want a fish.” This was a rather random...

December 2017

December 03, 2017

What Advent Teaches Us About Ourselves

In Philosophical Fragments, Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard tells a lovely story about a powerful king who...

November 2017

November 14, 2017

This Book May Change Your Life

A candle flame looks beautiful in the light of morning . . . It seems...

November 08, 2017

I Could Do That

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle, a thousand pieces or more. There is no box showing what...

October 2017

October 24, 2017

Ordinary Miracles

Every year, between Pentecost and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the lectionary takes us through week...

October 15, 2017

We Can Do Better Than Righteous Anger

Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Ephesians 4:26 I confessed on this...

March 2017

March 31, 2017

Quiet Ignorance

Over the past several years, I have frequently returned to a question that a friend...

June 2016

June 15, 2016

A Free Man of Faith

I wrote this essay last Saturday as a reflection on Muhammad Ali's memorial service that...

April 2016

April 11, 2016

Forty-Seven Books

Last June as my sabbatical officially began, I decided to keep a running list of...

February 2016

February 01, 2016

Hope in Exile

As is the case with any profession, the life of an academic includes some great...

January 2016

January 29, 2016

We Are More Than We Are

Although it often caused trouble and brought me grief during my primary and secondary education...

January 25, 2016

Give Us Barabbas

An annual musical fixture of my Baptist upbringing was the Easter Cantata. Each year on...

October 2015

October 26, 2015

Book Geek Problems

Two months ago President Obama and Marilynne Robinson had a lengthy conversation, not about foreign...

June 2015

June 24, 2015

There are More Things In Heaven and Earth . . .

Not long ago I received the following email out of the blue: “My name is ___ and...

November 2012

November 04, 2012

Ordinary Miracles

Every year, between Pentecost and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the lectionary takes us through week...

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