Blog

A New Metaphor for the RCA? Cantons
I’m suggesting that, “whatever this middle-assembly-thing is, we’re like ‘Swiss cantons’ unified and living together.”

Giveaway
I walked up front as directed and was presented with the small Star Quilt by the birthday lady herself, who wore a radiant smile.

I Remember the Candles: On the 25th Anniversary of 9/11
I remember almost nothing of the service except those candles and the musical recordings that were played.

Time to Pray
Would I have been impatient, fearing that if things took too long people would lose interest, or the experience would lose its meaning? I’ve certainly

Down with Politicians! A Reformed Critique of a Bad Idea
Calvin went so far as to characterize the work done by civic officials as a “sacred and noble calling.”

Hold Your Applause, Please
Am I being judge-y here? Do I risk violating that cherished maxim from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount? “Judge not lest ye be judged.”

The Climate Crisis and Christian Witness
It is the “least of these among us” —the poor, the marginalized, communities of color, our children and grandchildren, and many of our fellow creatures

The Shared Work of Worship
Every Sunday, an elder writes and leads a prayer of intercession for the congregation, and a deacon writes and leads a prayer for our context

Traditional Values, Human Rights, and Being “Modern”
I introduce the Rev. Carolyne Adhola, a priest in the Anglican Church of Kenya. Her story is both shocking and thrilling: shocking because of what

Barak: The Great Ache for Blessing
That declaration of goodness, the conferral of favor from a voice of ultimate importance — it’s the great ache of human life.

Another Shanghai Story
I stumbled upon the remarkable story of how Shanghai proved to be a place of refuge for Jews fleeing the Nazi terror in central Europe.

Your Own Small Syllabus
As an academic, the start of the school year is more the new year than whatever that thing we do in January. I know no