Tag Archives: faith

Caring for the Stranger

Posted on November 9, 2025 by hessd

For me, the dramatic center of Niall Williams’ novel Time of the Child is this confrontation between a doctor and a priest.  This interaction takes place in Faha, a very small and very Catholic town in Ireland.  There is emotional … Continue reading →

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Screwtape 3:16. Really.

Posted on March 17, 2025 by hessd

If you are willing to put up with a paragraph of so of apologetic throat-clearing, I will tell you why I chose this odd title for today’s post. I appreciate now in a way it had not occurred to me … Continue reading →

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The Fiery Darts of the Wicked

Posted on November 14, 2024 by hessd

This morning, I happened on a letter by an Episcopal bishop, Sean Rowe. It was phrased in language I am familiar with and which I always like on first contact. But the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable … Continue reading →

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Why hating “religion” isn’t going to help anything

Posted on August 31, 2019 by hessd

Timothy Egan posted a pointless rant in the New York Times today.  I don’t think it will do any damage because the only people who will get past the first several paragraphs are people who want to see a really … Continue reading →

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Karl Barth and Ergophobia

Posted on May 7, 2018 by hessd

I want to think today about ergophobia. [1] I mean by this term not the familiar “fear of work,” (illustrated by the man hiding under the desk, below) but more a “fear of works righteousness.” The mainstay of Christian theology … Continue reading →

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Two Cheers for Kristof and Keller

Posted on December 23, 2016 by hessd

Only two, though.  I am saving the last one for a better resolution of the dilemma. I want to think this morning about Nicholas Kristof’s column in the New York Times, which you can see here.  (For reasons I don’t … Continue reading →

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