“I believe: That the Lord God created the universe. I believe: That he sent his only son to die for my sins. And I believe: That ancient Jews built boats and sailed to America. I am a Mormon. And a…
Letters to Mary: Women cannot be controlled
“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” — Toni Morrison Dear Mary, Mother, I grow weary this Advent season; this is a weary world longing to rejoice as the carol sings. I miss the…
Letter to the Editor: Failure to communicate
Dear Editor: Concerning the analysis article “How A College Assignment Became the Latest Battle in the Culture Wars,” I first heard about the controversy from a national news report featuring an interview with the student in question after reading about…
What will we leave our children?
Every generation faces the same quiet question, although few pause long enough to consider it fully. When our children look back on the choices we made, will they see stewardship or convenience? Will they inherit communities made stronger by foresight…
The gays who put out a fleece
How far would you go to let God direct your steps? Two young adults met in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in fall 2019. Both were American; both from conservative evangelical Christian stock. They had been introduced because they both worked in…
When book bans enter the classroom, students lose
On a recent trip to my public library, as I was scanning my books, a young boy next to me asked the librarian behind the desk how many books our library branch has. The answer was in the tens of…
The power of active learning
Resilience rarely announces itself. Sometimes it shows up quietly — in the form of an 18-year-old freshman named CoMarion, standing outside Arkansas Baptist College without a car, without certainty, but with a deep desire to learn beyond the classroom. His…
Caring for ourselves during change-making conversations
Here we are, more than a month after the release of my “Non-Disclosure” podcast. And now that we’ve had some time to digest the lengthy, heavy and grief-filled material, I’d like to process some of that with you. The No….
Upside Down Advent: Despair versus hope
Here we are at Christmastime again, and ‘tis the season to be jolly. Right? Except what if you’re not feeling that jolly? Is that even allowed? Will you be consigned to binge watch Hallmark Christmas movies? If ever there was…
Wonder as you wander the road to Bethlehem
Every December, the world starts rushing as seasonal lights go up, calendars fill up quickly and Christmas playlists spill from department store speakers before the Thanksgiving leftovers have cooled. There is a cultural trend to rush in and rush through…
What message statues send about Black historical representation
“Set in stone” is an expression that conveys permanence. Perhaps some versions are not worth keeping forever. The Trump administration has continued its attack on history and representation with the recent seizure of monuments honoring World War II Black soldiers…
Journalistic integrity should be timeless
An opinion column titled, “Fun-loving Commies spend big to sponsor ‘No Kings’” was recently brought to my attention. The author was not entirely unknown to me. He once was on my media list in his capacity as a newspaper editor….