Video Remembrances of Bill McElvaney

August 24, 2014.Reading time less than 1 minute.

As many of you will know, Dr. Bill McElvaney died earlier today. I will most definitely have much more to say about Bill in the coming days and weeks. But, for now, I am remembering a great night at the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus Awards Event in 2013. Bill got the award that night, and I […]

Daisy @ The Lake

August 23, 2014.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Whatever They Prove, It Won’t Be Faith

August 15, 2014.Reading time 10 minutes.

Here they go again. A group of “Creation Scientists” are back in the news with their goal of proving the literal truth of the Biblical creation story. What they’re trying to do is not “news,” of course. It’s a decades old struggle of a fundamentalist, literalist faith against the truth of science. From the story: […]

When Citizens Become the Nail

August 14, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

Ferguson is a mess. If journalists can be arrested for no reason whatsoever, (hauled out of a McDonald’s, with their press credentials clearly visible) just imagine how average citizens of Ferguson are being treated. Mistrust is at the heart of all that is happening there. Police are unwilling to answer even the most basic questions […]

A New Bench

August 13, 2014.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Of Voice and Verse

August 13, 2014.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Originally posted on CrossRoads Faith and Film:
Although the genesis and perhaps lion’s share of credit for the power in this inspiring scene from “Dead Poets Society” belongs with screenwriter Tom Schulman, it is the understated yet determined passion in Robin Williams’s delivery that carries the power and meaning of the words through the mind…

After The Laughter, The Waves of Dread

August 12, 2014.Reading time 11 minutes.

To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” — Charlie Chaplin That quote has been a favorite of mine for many years. It’s never felt more achingly true than tonight, as I sit here processing the death of Robin Williams. How painful and beautiful to read the spontaneous […]

An Open Letter to Ann Coulter, from a Card Carrying “Christian Narcissist”

August 8, 2014.Reading time 10 minutes.

“Those crazy Christians, go and jump on some airplane And fly to Africa or Haiti, risk their lives in Jesus’ name…” –Brad Paisley Dear Ann Coulter, I hesitated before writing this open letter to you. I’m writing about your column about Dr. Kent Brantly titled, “EBOLA DOC’S CONDITION DOWNGRADED TO ‘IDIOTIC’” But you get so […]

Caring About “Credit” In a Different Way

August 6, 2014.Reading time 5 minutes.

There an old adage you’ve heard before that goes, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” Lots of people attribute this to Harry Truman. Others attribute it to Ronald Reagan. Still others, Albert Einstein. Like many aphorisms, the real answer is likely “none of the above.” […]

Failure to Move

August 2, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

Several folks have been curious about the actual charge against those of us who were arrested at the White House on Thursday. I won’t quote the technical language of the statute, but it boils down to standing in front of the White House, holding a sign, and not moving when asked. In a nutshell, we […]