Hopes and Prayers for the New Year

New Year’s celebrations have traditionally become a time for us to gather up our hopes and prayers for the coming year and express them in resolutions. I confess to being a resolution maker.             Not just about the little things like losing weight and...

A Christmas Prayer

Lord, first of all, thank you for the careful and creative way in which you have designed this world. You have made this planet a marvelous place, filled with life and beauty. It is a privilege to recognize that we humans are a part of your amazing invention....

The Impulse to Silence Dissent

Silencing dissent is just about the most un-American, and un-Christian, thing imaginable. Our Constitution was written by a host of rowdy and intelligent dissenters. And nearly every hero of our faith started off as a dissenter. And while all of the accusations are...

I Was Just Quoting Jesus

I recently wrote a column suggesting that as Christians we could do a better job finding ways to collectively provide assistance to the least of these among us. The responses were swift and angry. I was accused of distorting the Bible in order to advance a liberal...

Analyzing the Religious Vote

Religion has played a pivotal role in every election in this country since 1976. That remains true for our most recent presidential race as well. Even though the U.S. Constitution does not allow a religious test for public office, religious voters put the full force...