Essay

Ties That Bind?

The call came in part way through a three or four-day retreat. Part of the seminary’s January term, the entire first year class had travelled down from Michigan to a Catholic retreat center (and convent) in northern Indiana to study…
November 1, 2012
Essay

Woman of The Reformation: Elizabeth Cruciger

Not gonna lie, I may have started my morning off with this song. Which many of my 30-something year old, non-religious, cosmopoltin friends would say "Jes, we thought you were a modern day pastor. What's up with the ol' school…
October 31, 2012
Essay

Troubling Signs

As we enter the final week before we get through this taut political season, I have a question: Who is responsible for making and distributing those yard signs that say "Take Back Our Country in November"?  Since I see these…
October 30, 2012
Essay

Something to Eat

Have you ever thought about how much food there is in the Bible? I’ll admit I hadn’t thought about it much until last week, when I spent a couple of days with Doug Worgul at the Buechner Institute of Faith…
October 29, 2012
Essay

Some nights…

This is it, boys, this is war - what are we waiting for?Why don't we break the rules already?I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and whiteI try twice as hard and I'm…
October 27, 2012
Essay

If Sex Don’t Getcha the Money Will

I vowed I wouldn’t make this post about how Evangelical celebrities keep tripping over the sex thing. But it’s so hard to resist. Just in the past week we have two newbies that can’t help but call up a golden…
October 26, 2012
Essay

So, what’s the big deal about binders?

I’ve been riveted to presidential politics this fall—the polling, the spin, the analysis and projections, the Facebook discussions, and not least of all, the presidential and vice-presidential debates. As the election season winds down, I resonate deeply with Jennifer Holberg’s…
October 25, 2012
Essay

Friends and also strangers

I know the candidate I am voting for, but I nevertheless have dutifully watched all three presidential debates.  By the last one, however, I almost didn’t bother—I was worn out. But my desire to be a well-informed citizen made me…
October 24, 2012
Essay

Loyalty

Lynn Japinga is substituting for Steve Mathonnet-VanderWell who is on sabbatical. If you are desperate for more information about the RCA’s Synod of 1969, you can check out her forthcoming book, Loyalty and Loss (or whatever title the editor chooses),…
October 23, 2012
Essay

Layaway in a manger

I’d like to introduce you to someone. His name is Pumpkin-Headed Turkey Claus. His creators, the nice people at RetailMeNot.com, offer us this bio: “Who is Pumpkin-Headed Turkey Claus? Why he's the King of OctoNovemCember, that magical shopping season when the…
October 22, 2012