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

Sam Rocha

Home
Catholic

Philosophy

Select a Category aesthetics audio class notes conversation Education En Español Interviews jazz jazzhop link Liturgy Music Nonsense pastoral philosophy phenomenology Philosophy philosophy of education photo Poetry Political Theology quote Race regular Schooling Uncategorized video Weekly Apocalypse

Select a Month June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 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

March 2013

March 14, 2013

Pope Francis, Our American Pope

I just arrived in Portland, Oregon. It was a long, beautiful train ride. My pope...

March 11, 2013

Papal Indifference and The Will of God at the Bowling Alley

I don't care who our next pope will be. I find the fanfare understandable and...

March 05, 2013

The Teacher-Centered Classroom

Last week I gave two talks at Wabash College. The second talk was unfortunately not recorded....

February 2013

February 25, 2013

Beyond the Funk: Prayers for Quvenzhane Wallis UPDATED

Last night on Twitter, during the fanfare of the Oscars, the satirical news publication, The...

February 21, 2013

Solidarity in Vulgarity: The Funk in Racist Jokes (A Reprise)

As a sequel to my previous Black History Month re-post, "White History Month," from earlier...

February 19, 2013

Is God an Introvert? A Review of “Quiet,” by Susan Cain

Michael Richmond was not my student, with the exception of his senior comprehensive oral exam....

February 17, 2013

On the Death of Matthew Crawley

There is something about season three of Downton Abbey that I really liked. Something dark....

February 17, 2013

Economics Makes Us Crazy

I have no misgivings about, nor apologies for, my near total ignorance of economics. I...

February 13, 2013

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

My dear friend’s dog, Remus, is dying of cancer. Remus is a beautiful greyhound who...

February 11, 2013

Benedict XVI: A Portrait of Humility

I was a senior at Franciscan University of Steubenville when Pope John Paul II died....

February 08, 2013

Beyoncé and My Legs

I started shaving my legs in high school, from the calf down, to get my...

February 04, 2013

“White History Month”

Two years ago, during my first year of teaching at Wabash College, I was invited...

January 2013

January 29, 2013

Space, and not being smart in an e-mail.

Sorry, readers. The end of the month is usually the time when I'm trying to...

January 22, 2013

Guns AND Religion?

During Obama's first go-round in 2008, there was a big flare-up surrounding his comment about...

January 20, 2013

A Tale of Three Cubicles (full length)

Part One I was first assigned to the beam-cutting station, but I asked to be...

January 20, 2013

A Tale of Three Cubicles, Epilogue

Part I Part II Part III I was destined for the collar. Everyone seemed to...

January 17, 2013

Les Miz Sux: In Defense of Lisa Hendey’s Mom

Lisa Hendey's mother is exactly right: the latest film adaptation of Les Misérables is terribly depressing. It is...

January 16, 2013

Abortion or Religion? A Quandary

When I taught at Wabash College, there was a Protestant non-demoninational congregation down the road...

January 15, 2013

“One Pop Harem,” a bedtime story by Sam and Sam

Another "former student and present friend" (I've been blessed with several of them) and I...

January 14, 2013

In Praise of Cigarettes

I begin with a generous pinch of finely cut tobacco, cradled inside a creased, rectangular...

January 13, 2013

A Tale of Three Cubicles, Part III

Part I Part II The opening details are mostly unimportant. The hiring process was convoluted...

January 10, 2013

A Tale of Three Cubicles, Part II

Part I. Bilingual Benefits Representative. That seemed pretty good. What was it? Target Corporation, corporate...

January 05, 2013

A Tale of Three Cubicles, Part I

I was first assigned to the beam-cutting station, but I asked to be reassigned. I...

January 04, 2013

New Year’s Eve

I spent New Year's Eve with a buddy from college. We weren't super close while...

January 04, 2013

Would you subscribe to an e-mail? Should you pay for it?**

In the early nineties, my Father started a non-profit organization to support our family's ministry. Missionary...

December 2012

December 31, 2012

Education, The Craft of Desire

There is a universal and inextricable relationship between desire and belief. This relationship contains and...

December 30, 2012

The Holy Family: A Portrait of Humility**

On today's Feast of the Holy Family we hear a story about parents losing their...

December 28, 2012

The Culture Wars Are Over

It began when a mostly intelligent, cheeky, and sometimes rabble-rousing group of students I befriended...

December 26, 2012

The Sacred Excess of Christmas

Dear Fellow Catholics, Merry Christmas! Cristus natus est! It's party time. A time to feast and...

December 19, 2012

Those Immune to Violence Arm and Disarm

My late Tio "Manino" (short for Marcelino) had an bottle of Mexican brandy beside his...