Consider being alone, still, in complete silence. It can be a precious relief, a lovely respite from noise, and busyness, and demands, and people.…
Be of Good Courage
Faith / Scripture / Spirituality
It might be wise to resurrect a biblical greeting that was used when God’s people faced uncertain times—“Be of good courage.” The story goes…
St. Augustine on the Just Society
Books / Culture / Spirituality
"It is only in God that human beings find fulfillment and perfection. If they have no sense of God, they have no sense of…
The Birth of the Christian Worldview
Discernment / Scripture / Spirituality
Imagine a citizen of Rome thinking about the world the year Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee—4 bc, the historians reckon. There are skirmishes…
Letter to My Students
Culture / Ordinary Life / Pluralistic World / Spirituality
Dear Students, I’ll tell you about two key moments in my life. They came close together. I think I was seventeen. I’m not sure…
Old Myths Resurrected
Pluralistic World / Spirituality
Some of the most popular films today depict ancient pagan gods as superheroes. The Avengers (2012), for example, directed by Joss Whedon, one of…
Finding the Book
A close friend told me recently that he can no longer read the Bible. He isn’t as angry as Frank Schaeffer, whose Why I…
When you get old, who will you be?
Ordinary Life / Safe Place / Spirituality
What in life sustains us for the long trip to the end of our days? Sometimes a stream of despair causes me to doubt…
The Transformative Power of Story
Art / Culture / Spirituality
“Culture changes,” the Rev. Timothy Keller says, “when a society’s mind, heart, and imagination are captured by new ideas that are developed by thinkers,…
Polarization, reaction and faithfulness
Discernment / Ordinary Life / Spirituality
I like to think that my beliefs are pure, held only because they are demonstrably true, and maintained in a form untouched by the…