Blog Archives | Page 3 of 40

God’s Masterpiece

December 2024

More than two centuries before the Reformation, a theological debate broke out pitting the premier theologian Thomas Aquinas against an upstart Franciscan priest from Britain, John Duns Scotus. The heart of the debate circled around the question, “Would the event we celebrate at Christmas have occurred if humanity had not disobeyed God?” Like most theologians, Aquinas viewed the incarnation as God’s remedy for a fallen planet, a rescue plan that God first prophesied in Genesis 3. Aquinas pointed to Bible ...

I Am Not Dead

November 2024

I first came across the “Heartbreaking News” of my death on a YouTube video. A suspiciously artificial-sounding voice reported that I had passed away on October 6 due to complications from stomach cancer. Hmm, that’s news to me, I thought, recalling the misquote attributed to Mark Twain: “The report of my death has been grossly exaggerated.” Listening further, I learned that my family members and colleagues had noticed a visible decline in my physical condition. I appeared weakened and found ...

What Would Shakespeare Think?

October 2024

In 2016, the 400th anniversary year of William Shakespeare’s death, I wrote a blog about Shakespeare and the election. Donald Trump, then a political newcomer, was running against Hillary Clinton, the first female nominee from a major political party. We all know how that turned out. Now, eight years later, I revisit the prescient bard, wondering what insights we might gain on our current political scene. I once made a New Year’s resolution to read all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays ...

Divided We Stand

August 2024

Twenty years ago, at a time when U.S. forces were bogged down in Iraq, I attended a gathering that mirrored the sharp divisions in our country. The organizers had invited a diverse mix of people—Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, politicians and celebrities, athletes and bureaucrats, Christians and atheists—to spend a few days in small groups talking through our differences and searching for some commonality. The weekend went well, and on the last day we all joined together for a ...

The Eyes of Love

July 2024

Our guest blogpost this month is adapted from an essay by Dr. W. Thomas Boyce, acclaimed author of The Orchid and the Dandelion: Why Sensitive Children Face Challenges and How All Can Thrive. In this excerpt, Dr. Boyce reflects on one of his patients, a seven-year-old afflicted with a terminal disorder called mucolipidosis. The disease, slowly progressive, usually ends in death from heart or lung failure within the first decade of life. Over the years of Blake’s short life, the ...