When Thomas Dewey went to sleep on election night in 1948, he was the president-elect. The Chicago Tribune already had sealed the deal with the headline, “Dewey Defeats Truman.” But early in the morning as the election results were tabulated,…
Conversing with Jesus in time of war, 2026
We have as a nation entered into yet another war, this one in Iran. War places special stresses on the Christian conscience, especially when the war is defended as “preemptive,” that is, a war in anticipation of an attack, to…
The real reason for the Iranian strike? Padding political pocketbooks
The famed “cowboy philosopher” and social commentator Will Rogers once observed, “The short memory of the American voter is what keeps our politicians in office.” Lest we forget, however, that on Nov. 10, 2013, Donald Trump tweeted: “Remember that I…
Letter to the Editor: A story for Ramadan and Lent
This year, in a somewhat rare convergence of calendars, Ramadan and Lent began on the same day — sacred seasons of prayer and devotion now wounded and scarred by missiles and bombs. That grave irony has called to mind, for…
Our president’s desperate gambit in attacking Iran
Under cover of sham “negotiations,” in an attempted denial of political gravity, likely setting the stage for triggering the 1976 National Emergency Act for an electoral takeover leading up to November’s midterm elections and the threat of being found culpable…
Despair is attractive, but hope looks better
I don’t know about everyone else, but some days I am really challenged by trying to hang on to hope. There are days when despair is attractive. For instance, I recently was doing a bit of searching for something to…
Democracy is not a spectator sport
There are moments in American history when the question is not which party will win, but whether self-government itself is working as intended. This feels like one of those moments. On Feb. 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born into a…
Confessions of an exhausted preacher
As I write this, I am a preacher on sabbatical after two years of weekly preaching. I am a “young” preacher in that this is my first preaching job, although not young in age. I have done exhausting jobs before,…
Medicines cost less than tanks
When Rick Warren testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2015, he said something that remains true: Medicines cost less than tanks. As a Christian, I believe every person bears the image of God and is worthy of dignity. I…
Reimagining Esther: Purim amidst polarization
The Jewish festival of Purim starts on the evening of March 2. As a scholar of Esther, the book that holds its supposed “origin” story, I always think of it more vividly on the days it is traditionally celebrated by…
Calling evil good
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu announced their joint missile strike on Iran with a laundry list of the sins of the ayatollah’s regime while ignoring the violence they themselves have inflicted upon their own citizens and the people of Gaza….
National Prayer Breakfast or Christian Nationalism Breakfast?
On Feb. 5, the 74th annual National Prayer Breakfast was held in a ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel, with President Donald Trump as the keynote speaker. On Feb. 4, 2016, the 64th National Prayer Breakfast was held at the…