A Four-Star Trek
I’ve loved these characters all my life. I “have been, and always shall be,” their friend. And I loved the new Trek installment. (And no, this post is not really relevant to religion.)
Mormon Works vs. Evangelical Grace? Not So Fast
A Christianity Today article this week praises Mormon youth for their passion in missionary service but then caricatures Mormonism as having a works-based theology. Mormons and evangelicals both talk of “grace,” but they may be using the term differently.
When We Really Need Our Mothers
We often regard early childhood as the most important time for us to have a mother’s presence and care. But as Maya Angelou’s new memoir suggests, we never really outgrow that need.
Amy Grant’s New Album Releases on May 14
Grant’s new album, “How Mercy Looks from Here,” comes out on Tuesday. And it looks pretty darn good from here.
Elizabeth Smart, Mormon Girlhood, and Purity Standards
If virginity is the cornerstone of female power, as Sister Elaine Dalton suggests, then its surrender, whether willingly or by force, is the very definition of disempowerment and devaluation. As Elizabeth Smart put it, who wants a chewed-up piece of gum?
Why Mormons Have the Lowest Rates of Interfaith Marriage
Interfaith marriages now make up 36% of marriages in America. So why are Mormon interfaith marriages still so rare?
When God Answers Your Prayer
It’s not like I have a slew of miracle stories I can trot out from more than a quarter century of being a Christian, Latter-day or otherwise. But a recent experience has taught me that sometimes, miracles do happen.
The Christian Drunk
Heather Kopp knows her chardonnay. And her dark reds. And her beer. She also knows Jesus, and was a Christian the entire time she was an alcoholic. Her new book “Sober Mercies” chronicles falling in love with a God of grace.
I’m Not an Apostate Mormon, Just a Garden-Variety Heretic
Being a heretic sounds exciting and quite cutting-edge, but the sad reality for us heretics is that we are rather dull creatures. Whatever we’re pushing for right now, whether it’s heliocentrism or woman suffrage or the end of slavery, is likely to be old hat in just a few generations.
The Simple Pleasures of a Writing Retreat
No, a writing retreat isn’t a spa experience, but it’s pretty awesome anyway. I’m on retreat for a week starting tomorrow.
