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Magical thinking has troubled Christians for two thousand years. It’s the idea that if one knows the right words and says them in the right way God, like Aladdin’s genie, will serve up answers to wishes. It shouldn’t be a surprise. We love magic. We love magicians and magic shows, we love Harry Potter, Bewitched,… Read more

July 4th is going to be different this year. COVID-19 has canceled the city’s community wide celebration in Pioneer Park and its Main Street parade – real life versions of a Norman Rockwell painting in this picturesque small city. The park would have been filled with bands, dance groups representing anglo and hispanic heritage, scores… Read more

Letters to the editor of the local paper continue to rage against a police officer’s tattoo that has an SS symbol embedded in it, something he got while serving in the Army as a Sniper Scout. It is an abominable symbol, and many letters have wondered where he was when the history surrounding it was… Read more

The nation has embraced a much needed movement to reform and restructure policing in almost every community large and small. The small intermountain city where I live is no exception. Local concern has been driven not by incidents of abusive tactics, but by the revelation that an officer has a tattoo from his army days… Read more

This Sunday, liturgical churches are likely to hear the story from Genesis about God instructing Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abe almost went through with it, but God intervened at the last moment to substitute a goat in Isaac’s place. It’s a terrible story that’s generated accusations and excuses generally falling into two… Read more

There is nothing like a good writer’s prompt, and Heather Cox Richardson’s question of the week was “How can we restore trust in government?” I wondered if we’ve ever had trust in government. It’s complicated. It depends in part on what one believes government should or should not be doing. What are the essential functions… Read more