Like Lightning from Heaven
“In our world today there are some prophets like John the baptizer, who are spectacular. They prepare our hearts to see Jesus. …
Love in the Fullness of Time
The Nativity celebrates something much more beautiful and complex than the Child Jesus. Like the rim of light surrounding the sun in …
Unbinding Isaac: Musings on the Eve of My 55th Birthday
Everyday I kill Isaac — my beautiful dream about a silent, solitary, well-ordered life of perfect contemplation and perfect monastic observation with …
“Strange Fruit”: The True Visage of Lynching
Dear Hope Sings readers, thank you for your patience during my long hiatus from writing for this blog, mainly due to technical …
Rediscovering Child Mind
Author’s Note: In honor of “back to school” week, I’m reprising a post I published several years ago. I wish everyone involved …
Amazing Grace: Can Redemption Come Too Late for a White Supremacist?
Note: In March, I spoke at the University of Portland on the life and legacy of John Newton, composer of the beloved …
“I Am the Darker Brother”: On Parenting Black Children in America (On Parenting Henry)
I, Too by Langston Hughes I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in …
God Bless the Children: Where Hope Rises (and Falls) on Earth Day
“They speak with a moral clarity and determination that is unmatched by anyone or anything else.” During the 2016 presidential debates, I …
The Divine in Female Form: Celebrating International Women’s Day
For she is the brightness of eternal light, and the unspotted mirror of God’s majesty, and the image of his goodness. . …
The Artist Alive: Explorations in Music, Art and Theology (May 2019)
I’ve just been reviewing the final proofs of a new book manuscript that has been many (many!) years in the making. The …
