“At least six Texas children under 12 got abortions out of state in 2023,” according to an article by Taylor Goldenstein of the Houston Chronicle. “The number, possibly an undercount, underscores the effect of blocking the procedures for one of…
In times of fear, this is what artists do
In an article about the recently completed St. John’s Bible — the first handwritten and illuminated Bible produced by the Benedictine Order in more than 500 years — Duke University professor Ellen F. Davis asks, “When is beauty a moral…
23andMmmUh
When I was 5 years old, my father angrily said, “When we get home, you’re getting a spanking.” My mother intervened, saying I had likely heard “that word” on the school bus and didn’t know it was wrong. She was…
‘Neither right nor safe’: The Gulf of Conscience
On April 18, 1521, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther stood before Charles V, king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, and his court comprised of representatives from the nations of Europe. Luther was required to respond to two questions:…
The Christian faith in two sentences
Many years ago, when I served as a youth minister at a Baptist church during college, I took my youth group to a week of summer camp. Near the end of the week, during the evening worship service, the preacher…
Bishop Budde’s sermon, one month later
Unless you’ve been in a coma, you’re no doubt aware of the sermon Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde gave at a “Service of Prayer for the Nation” held at Washington National Cathedral Jan. 21. The bishop preached a gospel message and…
The guest preacher who was a fortune teller
You don’t often get fortune-telling in a Baptist church, so when it happens, you sit up and take notice. Perhaps “prophecy” is a better descriptor. I was about 13 years old, slightly more concerned with whether a boy was going…
Wake up
There was an urgency to his whisper: “Mary, wake up!” Like any new mother, she was instantly awake, asking, “What’s wrong? Where’s Jesus?” “He’s fine. But we have to go. I’ll explain on the way.” Her husband’s face, lit only…
Monday
Monday catches a lot of grief! Just the other day, at the YMCA where I work, a member came in carrying his workout bag and his clothes for work. As he scanned in, with a bit of dread, he made…
The liberating potential of queer joy
In the midst of the past three weeks, I’ve had a hard time finding reason for celebration and optimism. The Grammys changed that. Fall semester 2023, I taught a study abroad program in London. Upon learning about my iPhone’s music…
A Declaration of Economic Independence
DEI, originally coined as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, has a new meaning for Black Americans in the second age of Trump called the Declaration of Economic Independence. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, corporate America temporarily pledged billions…
The church is called to DEI
Before taking office, Donald Trump promised a crackdown on diversity initiatives. In the weeks following the inauguration, some might say he’s overdelivered on his promise, shutting down federal DEI offices and putting all federal employees that work in such programs…