Thank God I’m Not Like Them
Some of the people I enjoy following on social media are former students of mine who write passionately and eloquently about the theological and ethical issues at the heart of our country’s divisions over abortion, same-sex marriage, and racism, among other things. I am frequently in awe of the beauty and clarity of their writing, […]
The Courage of Reaching Out
“Your faith has made you well.”* Like many things Jesus says, these words make me uncomfortable. I am instantly transported back to my high school logic class: if it is true that having faith makes you well, then the logical implication is that being unwell must mean you do not have faith. And the idea […]
Just Joy
The stories come, as Jesus’ stories often do, because people are grumbling at him.* He is hanging out with “sinners” again, and the religious folk don’t like it. So Jesus tells two parallel parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin, both of which he likens to repentant sinners. I’m not the first to notice […]
Clearing Space
Whenever I am disappointed, whether it’s with a friend, an event or how a day has turned out, I ask myself, “What were you expecting? And why?” Because that’s usually the source of my disappointment: somehow reality didn’t match my picture of how it “ought” to be. My narrow self-identity has walled me off from […]
