As for “religion” itself, I’ve been coming around to rejecting the concept of “religion.” No, not converting to atheism, but rejecting the belief that there is some isolated class of human experience that can be identified (and therefore compartmentalized) as “religion.” Western culture is the only one that even has a concept of “religion” as…Read More

Philadelphia has initiated a plan called Shared Prosperity to fight poverty and stimulate job growth. The way it has rolled it out offers a model for other cities that want to get the most out of their social and economic programs. The City of Brother Love has been especially hard hit by the recession since 2008. It…Read More

This past summer at Chautauqua, where I’m spending most of July and August, I heard a speaker ask, “When was the last time you looked into a person rather than at him or her.” It was part of a Barbara Lundblad’s sermon on how to strengthen one’s faith, somewhat in the spirit of “Lord, I…Read More


In honor of Thanksgiving, which is, in some respects, about feeling thankful to be able to share a meal with loved ones, I want to reprise this post from early this year: In Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood, Jeffrey Marx recounts an amazing story about how the football…Read More


I am sincerely at a loss for the proper words to express my admiration, amazement and awe at all you endured in your early years to become the survivor, humanitarian and success that you are today. Your biography touched me deeply as a recovering alcoholic (32 years in June, if it is God’s will I…Read More