Since I spend my summers near Minneapolis, I have become a part of a working group at my alma mater, the University of Minnesota, that is called the Religion and the Public University Collaborative (RPUC). Tomorrow we will discuss research by sociologist Nancy Ammerman that led to her important book, Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes. Often … Continue reading Experts Agree— “Spiritual But Not Religious” Is Extremely Important—Too Bad They Can’t Define It
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Injecting Bleach or Ingesting Beach—Inquiring Minds Want to Know
I’m writing this quick note after reading a New York Times piece and reader’s thread about Trump’s suggestion to combat coronavirus by “injecting” a form of bleach as a sort of "cleansing” (now walked back to supposedly being “sarcastic” which seems a little worse than sincerity). I noticed on cable TV as this story was … Continue reading Injecting Bleach or Ingesting Beach—Inquiring Minds Want to Know
The Death of My Old Hometown: Sucking Out the Wealth, Filling the Gap with Fecal Pollution
Last summer, on a road trip between Minneapolis to Kansas City, I passed through a small town in Iowa where I lived from age two to five. Here is a picture I took. I have few personal memories of my early years, and almost all of them are filtered through home movies that I watched … Continue reading The Death of My Old Hometown: Sucking Out the Wealth, Filling the Gap with Fecal Pollution
Four Questions About the Shock Doctrine and Coronavirus
Without strong Democratic leadership, without mass protest, and with the economy so disrupted that I become confused as to how strikes could work, how do we fight for what we need? I have been distracted lately, not unlike many others I know. But I do not think that the majority of my anxiety is about … Continue reading Four Questions About the Shock Doctrine and Coronavirus
Rest in Peace, John Prine
This is probably my favorite of all the John Prine songs. It is the best one I can think of to capture how sad I feel about losing him—one of the greatest songwriters of my lifetime. MBE standard notice: The time I spend on this blog is not in addition to a Twitter and … Continue reading Rest in Peace, John Prine
Speaking Hard Truths
It is probably clear that I don’t make a regular practice of recirculating comments from others here. But sometimes I make an exception, and I will do so for this very good interview with Noam Chomsky on Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now. I do not have much to add. I just want to circulate it a … Continue reading Speaking Hard Truths
Positive Thinking as a Toxin
Imagine that a shark has a fish literally inside its jaws, but cannot bite down. Prayer is like that. It is like a “toxin” that makes you “invisible” to coronavirus. These are sermon illustrations that Joel Osteen, one of the most influential preachers in the country, broadcast in the midst of the pandemic. I know … Continue reading Positive Thinking as a Toxin
