In my last column, I held up as a worthy example for us all, a textile worker in a small North Carolina town — the one in the floral shirt and white scarf, who chose to follow the urging of…
Pastoral empathy and prophetic discord against the backdrop of the war in Gaza
“For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, the trees in applause.” —Isaiah 55:12 § § § Prelude. “I don’t know how my mother walked…
Letter to the Editor: A vote for Trump is a vote for a rapist
Dear Editor: Rape is a crime against a person’s body and soul. And to condone a rape you are condoning and accepting the rapist. Throughout the United States, many men are sitting on Death Row who murdered to cover up…
Dear crusading evangelicals, ain’t you tired yet?
Inspired by Mark Wingfield’s recent description of a poignant movie scene, I recently watched the 2011 award-winning film The Help. The movie highlighted a top-tier cast including Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Cisely Tyson, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburg, Jessica Chastain…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Nancy French
I’ve known Nancy French for some years now, if by “know” we count social media connection, which I do. I’ve gotten out of the habit of talking about disagreements with people; I look for places of connection and ask whether…
Abortion after birth is called a school shooting
Lately we have heard the message that our daughters have fewer rights than we did. That’s a jarringly frightening notion as many women like me were not empowered to make decisions about our own bodies coming out of a deeply…
I grew up in Springfield; here’s the real story on what’s happening there
My old hometown rarely makes the national news, but Springfield, Ohio is in the spotlight thanks to Donald Trump, his running mate and former Buckeye JD Vance, and fact-challenged social media posters who have exploited an influx of Haitian immigrants…
On watching Jesus
All cannot be fully well for any of us until all is finally well for all of us. That is my less artful version of Martin Luther King Jr.’s more lyrical declaration, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere….
Opposing Trump secretly isn’t enough
On Jan. 26, 2022, my opinion piece, “Where are the Good Republicans?” was published by BNG. The article was prompted by the Senate’s defeat of two voting rights bills — the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting…