Conservatives and Liberals?
Like most of you, I look out at the political landscape in America and see only “the One” and then the circus of opposition hopefuls, feeding on each other. How …
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day has always been my favorite holiday, with its simple focus on a gathering of family, friends, and sometimes strangers for a feast to celebrate God’s abundance. Like the …
Contradictions in Cherokee
Last week we went over to Cherokee for the 16th Annual Trail of Tears Association Conference at the Cherokee Casino-Hotel. Cherokee is now effectively two towns – the traditional tribal …
Re-visioning Justice
For some months I have been helping to prepare for a conference on restorative justice that will take place this weekend, September 30 and October 1. Entitled “Re-visioning Justice,” it …
Books on Worship Now in Digital Format
I have embarked on a project to make available some of my writings that are out of print or inaccessible. This began with the production of Blessed Be the Bond …
On Constitutions, Covenants, and Preambles
It is July 4 – the American summer festival of extravagant patriotism, razzle-dazzle festivities, hot dogs, hamburgers, and (for many) beer. It is also a moment when the punditry and …
Blessed Be the Bond
My earlier book on marriage and family entitled Blessed Be the Bond is now available free on this website. First published in 1985, this is its third edition, thanks to …
Fairhope Community
We just spent three days in Fairhope, Alabama, a remarkable town on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay founded a little over a century ago by disciples of the “single …
The Father and the People
Out of nowhere, it seems, “the People” in Egypt have risen up against their long-time dictator, successor to a lineage of autocrats stretching back to the ancient pharoaohs. Appeal to …
The Tucson Atrocity
Like you I have been trying to get hold of my emotions and order my thoughts in the wake of the atrocity last week in Tucson. Indeed, it was not …
Class Conflict and the Common Good
In the midst of the inanities of our present political discourse two terms continually return as my filters for the vapid media verbiage: “class conflict” and “common good.” First, “class …
Getting to the Table
The past few months in American politics brings this reflection to the fore for your reflection and response. In 2008 a majority of Americans expressed, through their votes, a longing …
Two Fundamentalisms
I have been reading Karen Armstrong’s The Case for God during the Senate hearings for Elena Kagan, Obama’s latest nominee for the Supreme Court. In both cases I was absorbed …
Cosmic Wonder and Parochial Idols
On our recent trip to Florida we spent a day and a half at the Kennedy Space Center and Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Some might think it ironic that this …
Peacejam Memories
This week I made some presentations on South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to 8th graders at the nearby Waynesville Middle School. Most of them are heavily involved …
Obama’s Parliament
In discussing our country’s Constitutional crisis last week I focused on the tension between our ideal of deliberative argument and conversation over against the realities of factional partisanship fueled by …