First Words
We need a better masculinity
I stumbled upon a helpful book recently that sheds light on some of the more troubling myths of manliness.
Finding our way
The mental maps we make tell us who we are and where we belong.
Why aren’t people coming back?
A letter to pastors and churchgoers who wonder what happened to the prepandemic church they knew.
Who’s responsible for coincidence?
Our spiritual lives would grow if we could step beyond the false notion that God arranges our circumstances.
The menacing turn in our politics
Too many powerful people in public positions today refuse to repudiate the language of threat.
Thoughtful, independent, progressive
What’s behind the Century’s new tagline?
Concretizing the word
Judicial originalism is biblical literalism’s younger cousin.
Good citizenship starts on the playground
Through play, children acquire fundamental skills for living cooperatively with others.
The Second Amendment has been shaped into an altar
Cowardly politicians sacrifice the helpless upon it.
Looking ahead
Life isn’t meant to be lived in the rearview mirror.
Love’s knowledge
We learn the most from those with whom we have a strong emotional bond.
Ukraine’s sleepless children
A failed high school science experiment increased my empathy for those who can’t sleep.
The courage to admit that we have blind spots
This acknowledgment is at the heart of Christianity.
Good parenting is rooted in warm relationships
But sometimes it also requires clever tactics.
Tears are a gift from God
They put us in touch with essential things that we know to be dear or wrong.
Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act” is about White people’s comfort
When did comfort become our highest aspiration?
The receptive, reflective act of paying attention
For Simone Weil, paying attention means asking, ”What are you going through?”
Jesus turned his public humiliation into solidarity
He turned it into love and care for humiliated others.
What does it mean to be a Christian plumber?
Most of us have nouns in common; it’s the adjectives that divide us.
Cultivating Christ-like compassion
We may feel compassion in our guts, but we learn it by practicing empathic solidarity.