Last week, a young man was shot to death right across the street from us. The murder took place in broad daylight, right in front of a Catholic church. This hit pretty close to home. Literally. You could look out our front window and see the murder scene, right in front of a statue of the …
We Quakers think a lot about our own demise. I’ve lost count of how many events, conferences, books, and lectures have essentially centered around the question, Will Quakerism survive? If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you already know that I believe this is the wrong question. The ultimate fate of Quakerism is not nearly so important …
As a Quaker, I’ve often been told that I’m supposed to be in the world, but not of it. I always thought I knew what that meant. But lately I’m not so sure. My life has been getting a lot more worldly lately. There’s a career that demands attention, a house that requires maintenance, and a …
It’s easy to miss it when you’ve won. The road to victory can be so painstaking and difficult that when you finally arrive, all you can think about is taking the next step, going further. Battle has become a habit. Before, the goal was X. But now that you have it, you realize that it …
Most people are hard at work trying to get ready for the last war. In World War I, almost everyone assumed that the battle would be won quickly through cavalry charges. Few foresaw the truth, that this War to End All Wars would drag on for four horrendous years, introducing Europe to trench warfare, mustard and …
In the wake of the terror and tragedy of the shooting at Emanuel AME in Charleston, words fail. There’s nothing I can say that captures the gravity of the moment, the depth of the sorrow, the reality of the shock and anger. There is nothing left for me to say except, in the words of Job: therefore …
Pope Francis’ ecological encyclical comes out today, and there are many reasons for hope. It’s encouraging to see a such a high-profile Christian leader taking a strong stand on both ecological issues and those of global poverty. I’m grateful for the way F is intertwining care for the earth and social justice, a message which draws deeply from and amplifies …