Date: April 13, 2021
Mind the Virtue Gap
These attributes distinguish a democracy from a mob—at least according to the American defenders of democracy around the time of the nation’s founding: Respect demonstrated by the majority for the […]
RPLI Posts
Date: April 6, 2021
When We Take Off the Masks
On Easter Sunday morning, shortly before sunrise, I attended an in-person worship service for the first time since the March 2020 shutdown. The service was outside. Everyone masked. It was […]
Date: March 30, 2021
Which Myth Comes After a City on a Hill
In religious studies, “myth” does not mean “not true.” A myth is not history, as today’s historians try to write history. Names, dates, an observable sequence of events. Rather, to […]
Date: March 23, 2021
Consider Who Lives Downstream
Recently, two weeks after my second vaccination dose, I spent time with relatives in the Chicago area I’d not seen since before my dad died a year ago. Driving around […]
Date: March 16, 2021
The Morality of a State Budget
A lesson I learned in a church administration class 40 years ago is: a church budget is a moral document. Decisions regarding why and how to ask for money, and […]
Date: March 2, 2021
Candy Boxing and Social Media Gone Wild
Nearly everyone over a fairly young age has seen, in reruns or on YouTube, the TV comedy classic scene of Lucy and Ethel working on the candy boxing assembly line. […]
Date: February 23, 2021
Not Even Almost Chosen
“[H]is almost chosen people.” Ever since learning this provocative phrase spoken by Lincoln about the US in 1861, I’ve used it. “Almost chosen” sounds like “nearly chosen” or, in the […]
Date: February 17, 2021
Christian Nationalism May Be Different, and Closer, than You Imagine
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12 (NRSV) Taking Back America for […]
Date: February 9, 2021
Individualism is a Deadly Delusion
“God created everything” is an ancient truth-claim. According to this claim, everything and everyone is related, for all comes from the same Creator. Human beings do not exist in the […]
Date: February 2, 2021
How Not to Take Responsibility for One’s Actions
There is churn in the news these days about “responsibility” and “accountability,” about how words from one person influence the actions of others—or not. The Bible contains numerous comments and […]