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 …
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. …
The Road Ahead: Merton, U2, and the Language of Desire
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot …
Living Courageously in Apocalyptic Times: Advent 1968/2018
Fifty years ago, on December 10, 1968, Catholic monk and spiritual writer Thomas Merton died in Asia, the victim of an accidental …
Hope Sings at Five Years: With Your Help, Widening the Circle
When Hope Sings, So Beautiful was published five years ago, it felt a little like I was singing — or perhaps spitting …
Christianity and Totalitarianism: A Marginal Monk Goes Mainstream
Last week an extraordinary thing happened. An excerpt from a 1960 essay by Thomas Merton, a marginal monk from an obscure Trappist …
