The Value of Education for Anabaptist Women
To be honest, I never intended to go to college. And yet, I am currently in the end of my junior year in my quest for an English B.A. My journey to reach this point involved more than stressful finals or scholarship applications. It also contained truth-seeking dialogue with friends … Read More
When Leaders Fall
I hit enter and sat in disbelief as the headlines flashed on the screen. I quickly opened the first several links with a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach that dropped deeper than the floor. “No! Not another one!” the string of words kept racing through my head. A friend … Read More
Singleness
Why does the New Testament lift up singleness as a noble calling? How can we value singlehood in a conservative culture that lifts up marriage and biological family so highly? The book of Genesis opens with a man living alone and God declaring it “not good” (Gen 2:18). The New … Read More
How Do We Relate to Others in Music?
As I draw my music series to a close (for now), I’d like to focus on how we should relate to each other in our music. It’s important to develop in our individual understanding, but it’s perhaps equally crucial to know how to apply this in our interaction with others. … Read More
Pornography and Prostitution
Pornography and Prostitution: a backstreet brothel, a locked bedroom door, and the link between the two. It is easy to shake our heads at a problem, briefly pray for someone, or impersonally support an organization when we can stay emotionally disconnected. We give money to organizations that feed the poor … Read More
How to Become an Important Part of Your Church
It’s a common thing for church people to feel underappreciated. Many friends I’ve talked to in the last year have complained about not getting enough chances to use their potential in the church. “Elijah, the leaders just don’t care about raising up potential,” they say. “My pastors don’t give me … Read More
I Won’t Be Voting Tonight. Here’s Why.
The 2020 election is a big deal. It’s the most important election in American history, just like every other election. American democracy is resilient; we’ve survived moments of terror that turned out to be nothing. Remember all the people that moved to Canada when Trump was elected? Of course you … Read More
So Now What? Addressing Practical Question from My Music Posts
In my last post in my ongoing music series, I made the case for the classical tradition. I also argued that the persistent syncopation common in most modern genres is detrimental to our mental and emotional wellbeing. Those are two significant, rather controversial claims to make and they are sure … Read More
How Do We Assess Value in Music?
If you’ve been reading my music series, I started by contending that we should be talking about music, then wrote a second post explaining why I think musical style matters. Now I’d like to share some of what has helped me in forming my own values in music. We begin … Read More