Bully Pulpit: On Spiritual Abuse
In the last several years, our society has become increasingly attuned to the prevalence of abuses of power and the incredible damage that is all-too-often inflicted by the powerful. Since some of this movement has been accompanied by our culture’s allergic reaction to some legitimate authority, we may be tempted … Read More
Reason Enough: Art and Creating
I am a theatre-maker by training. As I write this essay I am planning costumes and scheduling rehearsals for a production of William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Anabaptist communities, as I understand, are generally averse to the theatre, so I may be setting myself at odds with my audience by … Read More
Learning from the Prohibition Failure
America had a drinking problem in the late 1800s. If you look through old Baptist and Methodist hymnals (I’ve done this myself), you’ll find a slew of odd songs about drunkards, playing cards, praying moms and the evils of “booze.” Additionally, children’s story books from the turn of the century … Read More
Why Anabaptists Should Study Science
First, a brief introduction. I am a nuclear engineer by training and profession, which is probably why the prompt to write an article on this subject was presented to me. Prior to selecting my major, I did not know exactly what engineering was. Basically, engineering is applying science and math … Read More
Same-Sex Attraction and Desiring God
I once attended a talk on the early Christian church by a professor of history. I don’t recall many details; however, one bit has stuck with me. It was after the presentation that I sidled up to the professor with a question. I had noticed that the historic church throughout … Read More
The Church Against Loneliness
How big of a deal is loneliness? Dr. Vivek H. Murphy, the current Surgeon General, said in the 2023 report “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation”: “social disconnection was far more common than I had realized.” He goes on to state that half of American adults experienced loneliness, which is … Read More
Cars: An Enemy of Community
I’m not Amish or Old Order Mennonite, but I think they may have been right about cars. In fact, I’ve come to believe that cars have become one of the biggest destroyers of community in American society (with social media being another). Let me explain. My wife and I have … Read More
The Demise of Community
This year, Verna and I read through Jayber Crow together for the first time. Wendell Berry’s fascinating and riveting—if somewhat rambling—fictional story about a small town in Kentucky from the early to late 20th century has stuck in my mind, making me process America’s recent history from the lens of … Read More
It Is Not Good for Man to Be Alone
Adam didn’t have much life experience. God had just recently breathed life into him and placed him in the newly-planted garden of Eden. After giving him one simple rule, and a dire warning of the consequences for breaking it, God stated a simple but shocking fact about Adam’s personhood: “It … Read More