I just finished another Brené Brown book, Atlas of the Heart. it is a beautiful book, with great illustrations, and some of the best quotes in the book are highlighted in big colorful type on their own pages. Emotions often get such a bad rap: I mean, if someone calls you emotional, it’s not usually…… Continue reading Atlas of the Heart
Category: Social Justice
The Holy Innocents, Wounded Knee, and Fear
Yesterday was the Festival of the Holy Innocents, the day the Church commemorates the murder of all the boys two years old and younger in and around Bethlehem, at Herod’s order, once he realized that the magi had deceived him and Jesus–infant threat to his power–had escaped. The children are memorialized as the first Christian…… Continue reading The Holy Innocents, Wounded Knee, and Fear
20 Years Later
Like most of you I am sure, I have been thinking a lot about 9/11 this weekend, which marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. In particular, I have been wondering about whether it brought us closer as a nation, or whether it actually fragmented us. I imagine it depends on who you ask.…… Continue reading 20 Years Later
Saying Sorry
If you read the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, you be will be familiar with the “four words” that are guideposts for Gamache as he navigates both his work and his personal life–Penny works them in to almost every one of her mysteries. The phrases are: “I need help,” “I don’t know,” “I was…… Continue reading Saying Sorry
The Criminal Fallibility of the Death Penalty
Where do you stand on the death penalty? Many people have very strong opinions about it, and it can be a controversial topic of conversation. I am a long-time opponent of the death penalty, for theological reasons; and, while many people do still support the death penalty, in the United States, opposition is growing. I’m…… Continue reading The Criminal Fallibility of the Death Penalty
Periods, Poverty & Pollution
Thanks to our Global Advocacy Committee & the Sustainability Taskforce here at Wartburg Seminary, I had the opportunity to watch a great documentary last night that I want to share. It’s short, less than 30 minutes, and it’s called “The Bloody Truth about Period Poverty in America” [watch it for free here: https://youtu.be/gPWriykB0xY%5D Mostly, I…… Continue reading Periods, Poverty & Pollution
Lament, Caste, and Racism
The faculty at Wartburg Seminary is reading Caste: the Origins of our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson. It is a very interesting book in which she uses the concept of caste, as well as several vivid metaphors, very creatively as a way to invite people into thinking about racism with new categories and fresh eyes. (The…… Continue reading Lament, Caste, and Racism
Mitch McConnell and the Importance of Timing
Today, Mitch McConnell learned the importance of timing. As shocking, horrific images of insurrection in the Capitol building fill the news, my thoughts keep turning to Mitch McConnell, and I wonder if he regrets his actions in the weeks following the election–actions, which, I believe, have contributed to the rioting that took place in Washington…… Continue reading Mitch McConnell and the Importance of Timing
The Cost of Demonization
Perhaps you are familiar with one of Shakespeare’s more famous sonnets, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” In that sonnet, he repeatedly violates our expectations of love poetry by rejecting traditional–and exaggerated–claims of loveliness in describing his beloved: “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; if hairs be wires, black…… Continue reading The Cost of Demonization
A Prayer for our Leaders, A Prayer for Ourselves
Today is an election day like no other, and I think many of us are feeling lots of different emotions today: exhaustion, hope, anxiety, apprehension–and that’s just for starters. In this fraught moment, I could say lots of things, but I think all I want to offer is this prayer from To Bless the Space…… Continue reading A Prayer for our Leaders, A Prayer for Ourselves
Happy Lutheran 