by Mark Johnson | Oct 5, 2009 | Opinion
One of my ministerial friends is on a “silent retreat.” At face value, it sounds pretty attractive, with no looming distractions, no interruptions and no pressing deadlines. The needed rest it promises is particularly appealing for those, like me, who...
by Mark Johnson | Sep 25, 2009 | Opinion
Torture is not only cruel. It is also ineffective and unreliable, according to a leading neuroscientist studying the effects of the brain under conditions of extreme, repeated and prolonged stress. Writing in the journal Trends in Cognitive Science, Shane O’Mara...
by Mark Johnson | Sep 7, 2009 | Opinion
Often, a spiritual aspiration is defined as “living fully in the present.” Buddhism embraces the idea of impermanence, or anicca, where all things exist through a unique combination of factors with no single moment ever being exactly the same as it...
by Mark Johnson | Sep 2, 2009 | Opinion
As ministers, we are the arbitrators of the gospel, professional communicators of the Good News of God’s love and favor proclaimed in the teachings and life-example of Jesus of Nazareth. We are a people of the Book, affirming the central role of the Bible as the...
by Mark Johnson | Aug 24, 2009 | Opinion
One normal yellow bus with green-and-white trim, all scrubbed and sparkling, sits parked in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. Nearby are a collection of more than 125 notable vehicles of the 20th century in America, including a string of presidential...
