This week I begin my 48th semester as a college instructor at a faith-based institution. (I also taught as a graduate student at state schools, so my total teaching tally is nearer to 60 semesters.) At George Fox University, we are encouraged—required, even—to bring our Christian faith to the classroom, and I have cherished the opportunity to openly express my love for Jesus in the vocational space I’ve inhabited for several decades now. The integration of my faith with learning... Read more
In my first election, I chose Jimmy Carter. I was in seventh grade, so my vote didn’t count. But at Hillsboro Middle School in Kansas, a friend and I were vocal supporters of Carter, fighting against the many Mennonite Brethren in our classes who campaigned for Ronald Reagan in our school-wide mock election. We were Mennonites too—seemed like almost everyone in Hillsboro was—but of a different type, and because our parents were Democrats, we vehemently advocated for the Democratic ticket,... Read more
For all of my vocational life, Advent season arrives just as another semester is concluding, and the run-up to Christmas always accompanies the run-down of my courses, with final exams and projects, last-minute meetings, and grading all the things. By the time I close the books on another semester, address any student complaints about grades, and finish projects I’ve put off, I’m wiped out, as are most of my teacher friends. Advent is wound up in weariness for me, every... Read more
Like thousands of other X Users, I recently deactivated my X/Twitter account, migrating to Threads, and then to Bluesky, to get my social media fix. This weekend, NBC reported that many journalists are quitting X as well, especially after X owner Elon Musk admitted to deprioritizing posts that included links, thereby limiting the ability of reporters to reach readers seeking more than a sound bite of information offered by Tweets. And herein resides a significant problem: too many of us... Read more
This is not a post-mortem about the national election. Goodness knows I’ve read enough of those in the last week, even after I swore off news for a while, wiped several social media apps from my phone, and decided political podcasts only stoked my anxiety. The incessant catastrophizing kept me up at night, worried about our nation’s uncertain future. In my slow crawl back to the news this week, I read an excellent column in the New York Times, suggesting... Read more
As we move closer to the election, former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about immigration has taken on even grimer tones, as have the words of his running mate, J.D. Vance. No longer content to simply critique federal border policies, as other candidates in other elections might do, Trump and Vance have used appalling nativist language to suggest that immigrants are responsible for our country’s every problem, from inflation to crime to recent disaster relief efforts. According to Trump and Vance,... Read more
It’s political sign season in my home community, as it is everywhere. In the county where I live, political signs proliferate almost every spring and fall, mostly for candidates in local races, less often for those at the national level, perhaps because Oregon is not a swing state, and because national races are pretty much decided before our polls close. There are several notable exceptions in my hometown, though, of signs supporting a national candidate and which show that we... Read more
God is Not Dead: In God We Trust opened in theaters Thursday. According to its synopsis, the fifth installment in the God is Not Dead franchise “explores the enduring relevance of faith in public life and the critical fight to keep religious values at the heart of governance.” The film’s protagonist, a man who puts his Christian belief at the center of a congressional campaign, offers proof that God is not dead, and that “standing firm in faith” is what’s... Read more
Last week, I was invited to share with a group of senior citizens my thoughts about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and about elections in our hometown. I didn’t know what I was stepping in to, but I went, as the person who asked me to come, a former colleague, was someone I admire deeply. Because I trusted her, I trusted these people, though just barely. Ninety minutes later, I left the group feeling more hopeful about the state of... Read more
Early in my career as a Christian university professor, I was bemoaning the dearth of women serving as leaders of our institutions, arguing specifically that it was time the United States elect a woman as president; and that the 200-year history of not electing women to office reflected our country’s persistent misogyny, a shared sense that women were somehow not capable of being leaders. A colleague insisted women shouldn’t seek government roles, at least not nationally. While I’m sure his... Read more
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