Tag: Current Events
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All the Wrong Things
There once was a village nestled deep within the forest. It was a thriving community whose residents looked out for one another and took pride in their homeland. Brought together by a sense of shared identity, this village was a refuge for all types of people: artisans and merchants, hunters and farmers, poets and bards.…
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An Open Letter to Chuck Hockema
Dear Mr. Hockema, Congratulations on this week’s election victory, and welcome to the board of the Lafayette School Corporation. Although you don’t know me and I don’t know you, I commend your desire to support public education in our community. I firmly believe that our schools are some of our most important cultural institutions, and…
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Hold the Confetti
A younger version of myself would have been elated. In his eyes, this was a dream scenario, a climactic moment of ultimate victory on one of the key battlefields of the culture war for America’s soul. But the present version of myself couldn’t celebrate. I couldn’t even muster a half-hearted smile. When the Supreme Court…
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That Ain’t It
If you’re looking for high drama and political intrigue, you’re not likely to find much of it here in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Our humble little slice of America isn’t exactly the most exciting or influential of places. But in the past few weeks, a notable controversy has captured headlines and caused quite the stir. It…
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Selective Memory
Never forget. After 20 years, it’s fitting that we once again remind ourselves to remember. The significance of that awful Tuesday—of its destructive terror and its heroic bravery—demands an enduring place in our collective consciousness. The only thing more tragic than the events themselves would be the mistake of letting them slip into the oblivion…
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Statues and Skeletons
How do we actually deal with the ugly parts of our shared history, as opposed to just erasing them?
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Dead-End Theology
If good theology doesn’t propel us into the world to be agents of justice, mercy, and renewal, then what’s it good for?
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The Righteousness of Rage
My wife and I make it to the movie theater about once a year—maybe twice if we’re lucky and have a gift card. But even then, we attend merely as chaperones and financiers, dutifully setting aside our own cinematic preferences in order to allow our eager offspring the rare pleasure of stuffing buttery popcorn in…
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Prayers and Politics
Unfortunately, this script is starting to become familiar. A mass shooting takes place. A group of grieved and angry people react by calling for stricter gun control laws. A second group of grieved and angry people react to the first group by admonishing them not to politicize a tragedy. The first group says, “Well, your…
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5 Questions about Patriotism
For the past couple weeks, I’ve had an article in the works about the great kneeling debate that has been swirling around the sports world. But then this weekend happened and everyone went bananas, so I scratched that article and decided to go in a different direction altogether. Yesterday as NFL players protested and the…