This is 40

My somewhat-rambling reflections on turning 40.

The scars of our fathers: Remembering John Secord

The trauma of generations past can impact us today, but healing can be found.

Why are we so divided? It’s about identity

It’s hard to wrap our minds around how diametrically opposed Americans are politically and culturally. It often feels quite literally like we are living in different realities from each other, perceiving events so distinctly that it’s as if we’re on separate worlds. And this phenomenon isn’t limited to the U.S. – most Western democracies are […]

The idolatry and slavery of identity

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” – St. Augustine, Confessions “All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on the family likeness of Christ. Gone is the distinction between Jew and Greek, slave and free man, male and female – you […]

What’s the big deal about white privilege?

People are funny. We identify strongly with groups and are quick to be defensive about ourselves or others in the groups we belong to. We’re so oriented to this way of thinking that there’s even a phrase describing it (“groupthink”), and we learn to interpret communication according to often subconscious queues that are understood in […]

Why the American Church is failing

The Christianity practiced by the American Church has made it largely impotent and a shadow of what it is supposed to be. Lord, where to even begin? I guess the first place is to note that, while this critique is aimed primarily at the White American Church, there is no version that is blameless and, […]

Why we need Christmas

The seasons of Advent and Christmas are my favorite times of year when I let them be. I’m pretty much a grump by nature, so the joy of the holiday season doesn’t come naturally to me. My mood beginning in late October and early November is one of fussiness, because it is then that I […]