Institutionally Challenged? Obadiah to the Rescue
By God’s grace, this child of parachurch upbringing coupled with a healthy dose of American independence is growing in his appreciation for the institution ordained by God.
To a Hare, From a Louse
But on this day, I am the louse. It’s my “impudence” and “cursed speed” that has made me break what little union I had with my fellow mortals.
Grace is the Currency of the True Economy
Theologians have long used the language of economics to help explain God’s ways. They often focus on redemption as a kind of transaction. I think this is just one aspect of God’s economy.
Dying Properly—like a Dumb Ass (A Dispatch)
Little do I know that in a few days I will have died properly: by explosion.
Last Rites for Local Parishes: On the Decline of Catholic Chicago
A church that prides itself on its universality—its catholicity—has served as a seedbed for hundreds of parishes divided along ethnic lines.
What Is Your Vote?
I’m not asking what candidate you support. What I am asking you to consider is what does your vote constitute?
This question was spurred by...
A Christmas Tree You Don’t Know Beans About
The locust tree is a rare symbol of Christmas and Easter as one.
Reading Reality (and Watching for Bric-à-Brac on Our Windowsill)
Christian monastic pioneers saw that books left on the windowsill are more likely to make an impression on those outside than on those within.
Tropical Fruits of the Lower Midwest
The maypop shows, however, that localism need not mean confining oneself to an austere and moralistic diet. If I cannot grow bananas and mangoes in the Ozarks, I can nonetheless harvest maypops.
Waiting, Seeing, and Receiving
Advent is a reminder that God has not forgotten—that He is faithful to His promises, that we're not left to our own devices, that he hears and knows.