In one of the many rules St. Benedict wrote for his 6th-century religious community, the father of Western monasticism directed his monks to “remember to keep death before your eyes daily.” A dour suggestion at first blush, Benedict was urging his followers to contemplate the... Read More →

We hear a lot about nuclear stockpiles. There are pacts and treaties and deals aimed at limiting and destroying nukes. But what about virus stockpiles? The American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, is, according to its website, a “global... Read More →

  Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter (Isaiah 59:14).  “My body, my choice” has been chanted by abortion advocates for as long as I can remember. So it is somewhat jarring, at... Read More →

  In mid-October, I drove from my home in North Carolina to attend a board meeting of UMAction— the United Methodist desk at the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, DC. The night before the meeting, I bunked as usual at a Motel 6 located a mile north of Union... Read More →