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In our series, "Taking the Long View," we interview senior leaders in the Reformed and Presbyterian community, asking them to reflect on their experiences and careers, noting the achievements, changes and challenges affecting the Reformed tradition today.  All of these women and men have made distinguished contributions to the church, the academy, or the professions, and are approaching or enjoying retirement.  However, we think you will find them anything but "retiring."  It is our hope that the accumulated wisdom and…

Not long ago a well-known, highly accomplished author wrote an "op-ed"-type article in the New York Times Book Review.  Surveying the publishing landscape, this author sniffed dismissively at the welter of autobiographies and memoirs on the market.  He noted the oft-heard observation that something like eighty percent of people think their life story is interesting enough to tell.  In his considered opinion, a quick glance at the average bookstore would reveal that most of the people who think that way…

What is competition?  We talk about healthy competition, ensuring competition, and being a competitive person, all of which have positive connotations.  Americans, in general, see it as a good thing, or, if not good, at least natural . . . like a self-regulating free-market or an undisturbed ecosystem in balance.   For this reason it's not surprising that in defining the word competition, the Webster dictionary uses both business and organic competition as its secondary examples.  The primary definition however is…

Watching the preparations for the recent Iraqi War gave me a disturbing feeling of deja vu. The Bush Administration issued ever more dire warnings about the danger posed by Iraq, though no imminent danger seemed evident to Iraq's neighbors. From the start it seemed clear that the Bush Administration wanted to settle this "crisis" militarily; their requests for Congressional and U.N. approval were grudging gestures designed to placate critics and provide legitimacy for a course of action already decided upon.…

Listen in on a conversation between Jesus and a crowd of persistent people gathered on the shores on the Sea of Galilee. It is the morning after the feeding of the thousands back on the other side of the lake. A conversation between Jesus and a crowd of people? Chances are, it was more like a high-stakes press conference, with questions being shouted from all corners of the crowd. There is a certain haphazard, disconnected, non-sequitur quality of this encounter…