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In the January 6 early web edition of Dagens Nyheter, one of Scandinavia's leading newspapers, the headline reads "USA church rejoices in Swedish victims." In the wake of the American presidential elections, when so much has been made about the American citizenry's overwhelming desire to return to morality and family values, one wonders how the world perceives the American populace. As dozens of foreign presses have detailed, much of the world has not been impressed with America's foreign policy ethos…

A reciprocal relationship exists between the structure of a society and its people. The way one thinks and behaves is profoundly influenced by the policies of the place where one lives. At the same time, social and economic policies are shaped by the cultural environment in which they are enacted. They are often presumed to be the result of a consensus in the society that chooses them, and hence to best reflect the values and priorities of the majority. Yet,…

Holding a morsel of the bread that Jesus had given him, Judas exited into the darkness. Is it the same bread Jesus used that evening to initiate the Lord's Supper? The Gospel of John's account of Maundy Thursday does not include Jesus transforming the Passover feast into the Christian sacrament. But could we use the other gospel accounts to infer that it was the same, bread? If so, what would it mean for our view of Judas? Judas is the…

SPRING Sun shines on the melting bank, the gruel-gray path. Eaves of our stone cottage sparkle with dripping, light- filled drops. This morning, I learn again how things quicken, frozen to thaw, solid to flow, how constant is life's trans- formation. At the wood, deer leave uneven tracks. Sparrows etch criss- cross cuneiform on the dying snow. I too bequeath my mark, lend my bones their hour on the land, sink into the magic of new mud. SWALLOWS for Toots…

For William Vande Kopple, family, fishing, and faith are inseparable. In The Catch, a collection of short fiction, Vande Kopple explores the connections within this trinity in both his distant and recent past. Along the way, Vande Kopple instructs himself on the importance of light-hearted hope in all of life, and allows us to overhear. For instance, in "For the Morrow," perhaps my favorite piece in the volume, Vande Kopple's dad pulls him out of a seriously dark depression and…