[Painting, “Mary Magdalene at the Crucifixion” by Francesco Hayez] For Christians, Easter is a miraculous promise of love kept, because Jesus resurrected, as foretold, three days after his undeniable death by crucifixion. Yet, as if coming back to life isn’t enough, here’s an added kicker for me. Jesus chose to appear first to a woman. […]
The age-old angry question is, “If there is a God, then why do horrible things happen?” A new movie, The Shack, based on the book by William P. Young, goes further. “How does one get past unspeakable tragedy and relentless pain?” The Shack is a visual parable that answers both questions. Mack Phillips (actor Sam […]
Doubt. It’s a key ingredient to faith. If you don’t question, you don’t care. A new book helped me to examine what I believe and why. The Value of Doubt: why unanswered questions, not unquestioned answers, build faith, is written by Bill Tammeus, a veteran journalist and award-winning religion writer. (Skylight Paths Publishing, September 2016, […]
Merry Christmas! It’s a greeting that celebrates light in a too-dark world. For Christians, the heartbeat of Jesus Christ’s message is humility and service. “Merry Christmas” is about love triumphing against all odds. Consider that the King of Kings was born among the poorest holding lineage with the most persecuted of people. The Nativity story […]
Sister Peggy Cummins, age 67, runs a safe house for survivors of sex trafficking. Honoring her vow to chastity for 48 years, she had no experience with either sex or trafficking when she began this work in 2011. Yet the horror and debasement did not shock her. Instead she was jolted by a different realization. […]