In the 1980s and ’90s, while I was teaching English, I also was a debate coach. High school debate is a lot of fun, primarily because the drama of teenagers is just as present there as it is on the…
Decent men of faith and sexual abuse
Before I get into this piece any further, let me admit that decency is a pretty low bar for people of faith. I find that in most churches (I cannot speak for synagogues or temples or mosques), the bar is generally set…
Loving our neighbors: Day 0
It has been a difficult week, no question. After a difficult spring, a difficult and spectacularly hot summer, and a difficult, if beautiful, fall (at least where I live). “Difficult” may not even really cover what we’ve all been through….
Virginia pastor offers help for churches that don’t want to talk about racism
Martha Dixon Kearse is a preacher whose message on systemic racism and white privilege is disturbing to the very demographic she’s trying to reach: white Christians. “Let’s be up front about the very ugly, very large elephant in the room:…
Let’s call the divorce lawyers for the sick marriage of church and state
In the world of British sociological order, there are five estates: nobility, clergy, middle class, press, and then any other group that can stand up to the other four. In the United States, having rejected the idea of the nobility…