Liturgy · Laughter · Camaraderie · Contemplation
In western culture we have not only grown accustomed to dualisms of various kinds, but we seem to assume they are unavoidable. Whether we’re talking about the sacred and the secular, divinity and humanity, or the natural and the spiritual, we live in a society more characterized by either/ors than by both/ands. A Theology of […]
Most readers will recognize the name Billy Idol, the ’80s-era singer of such tunes as “Rebel Yell,” “White Wedding,” and “Eyes Without a Face.” But what many don’t remember is that before he was a pop star he was a punker who fronted the band Generation X. Generation X (betcha didn’t know it was also […]
Even for someone like me whose theological background is old school Calvinism, 2020 managed to leave me with a bleaker and more cynical take on human nature than I had going in. And that’s quite a feat. There are no two ways about it, Americans are cruel. Like the rest of the world, we were […]
The most surprising thing I learned in 2020 — by far — has to do with art, and music in particular. Growing up I was mostly surrounded by white people, and I mostly listened to white music (U2, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, etc. Basically anything that shows up on Sirius XM’s […]
It doesn’t take a degree in human psychology to look around at our COVID-riddled planet and realize that either this virus is smart enough to focus its attack on people with eagles on their passports, or we Americans have something wrong with us. I am referring, obviously, to the fact that the United States, despite […]
Yeah so 2020, amirite? It sucked, blah blah blah. Here’s some stuff I learned: Thing #1: EVERYWHERE IS RACIST Before 2020 hit, I, like most normal people, thought that racism (the everyday conversational kind, not the institutional kind) was mainly confined to the usual places. You know, like Michigan and Missouri. Oh, and also Ohio. […]