The good folks at Duke’s “Faith and Leadership” magazine have just posted an article they invited me to write on the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation. A snippet from the conclusion of my talk at the 2012 Q conference, the article focuses on how and why liturgical tradition can foster cultural innovation. Read “Tradition…
Last week our family enjoyed an evening at the Art Gallery of Ontario here in Toronto. (Note to large families: the museum is free on Wednesday’s from 6:00-8:30pm.) Earlier that day I had led a seminar on William Cavanaugh’s classic essay, “‘A Fire Strong Enough to Consume the House’: The Wars of Religion and the…
I absolutely love this Nicholas Nixon photograph from MOMA’s collection. Entitled simply, “Covington, Kentucky,” it’s a picture you can look at for hours and still feel something new and different. The composition is exquisite: those horizontal lines and shadows backing the smooth, light skin of innocent childhood in summertime; the young girl looking longingly at his…
[On April 14 I was asked to give a brief opening address to the West Michigan Honors Conference hosted by our own Honors Program here at Calvin College. The conference was an opportunity for students from several colleges and universities to share the fruits of undergraduate research. These are my notes for the talk which…
Our church’s youth group has a wonderful tradition: as part of a retreat for high school seniors, parents are invited to write a letter to their children that they receive at the retreat (and the kids are invited to write letters to their parents). It’s a wonderful rite of passage that encourages reflection and gratitude…
It seems like every other day I’m told another reason why young people are leaving the church: because Christians fight too much, or because Christians are too political or anti-gay or don’t care about social justice. Millennials, we’re told, are leaving the church because the church won’t bless their cohabitation or provide them with contraception…