“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.” —…
Getting my vaccine was a humbling, sacred moment
I am thrice vaccinated now, and each time I receive a shot of the Pfizer vaccine, I feel like I am participating in something both humbling and sacred. I am a Christian who believes very deeply in what the Catholic…
Talking about abortion is an opportunity to call on the grace of Jesus Christ
At the end of the day, my theology means very little until it touches the ground. I am an Episcopal priest, spiritual director and recovery coach, so my whole ministry rests inside the stories that are shared with me, the…
COVID-19 and moral incompetence
In 1979, the E.F. Hutton investment firm marketed itself on television with a commercial in which someone would mention that E.F. Hutton was managing their investments. Immediately, people near that speaker stopped what they were doing to overhear the conversation,…
Rachel Held Evans started the story, Matthew Paul Turner picked it up, and the result is hope for children of all ages
Parents often are asked more than once this age-old question “What is God like?” Matthew Paul Turner and the late Rachel Held Evans attempt to answer that question for parents and children in a new children’s book, What is God…
On COVID and praying for the sick
Our family got our first television set when I was 6 or 7 years old. I clearly remember the first afternoon coming home from school; we watched cartoons. Childhood memories stick with us because they touched something unique or special…
Evangelist dies of COVID just 25 days after preaching at a huge Baptist youth camp
A popular youth evangelist who preached at one of the nation’s largest Baptist youth camps July 5-9 has died of COVID pneumonia less than a month later. Some parents had complained that their teenagers came home from Falls Creek Assembly…
Why I’m leaving my church: A theology of death
I’m a gun owner and a recreational sportsman. I used to believe in the NRA hype about “good guys with guns” being the heroes America needs and being crucial as protectors of the innocent. Over the past several years, my…
My life as a bad baseball player and why you should get vaccinated
As a kid, I was a bad baseball player and always got stuck out in right field, where there’s less action happening and less chance I could mess up an important play. In these days of COVID vaccination drives, you…