With Flag Day upon us, I am about to go into my annual frenzy about something most people have unlearned from grade school. That is, respect for the flag. Even the basic things like not having it out in the rain or at night without a light are way beyond people who want to show their love for America — 24/7, rain or not. I guess we are supposed to comment on how patriotic they are, ignoring the fact they are ignorant of rules of respect or just lazy. While on the subject, let’s talk about

A book written in Portuguese in 1968 has a special place in my heart. As a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, I joined others to attend some informal evening seminars in the home of one of our professors to hear about a book he was translating by a Brazilian teacher. So we lounged on the living room floor of Dr. Richard Shaull, discussing Pedagogy of the Oppressed , by Paulo Freire. Even then, I sensed this was an extraordinary book. Freire developed a pedagogy for teaching literacy to

How much longer are we Americans going to stay silent and side-lined as our federal government’s executive branch, led by Donald Trump, swerves out of control, pouncing on one constitutional norm after another? As the unraveling of what used to be normal quickens and becomes more disgusting, are we just going to sit like immersed toads in a pot, unaware the temperature is rising? Our nation is in a constitutional crisis because of Donald Trump -- with assistance from an inner circle of powerful

On May 7, Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies on the topic of immigration enforcement. “If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law,” he said. “If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border.” The federal policy that allows children to be taken from their families at the border was implemented specifically as a deterrent to future

We’ve all heard of guilty pleasures, such as Dove Bars, but even better are the guilty pleasure you can clear yourself of. These are pleasures where you’re guilty but figure out ways to prove yourself to be innocent. Back in the early 20 th century, the censors forbade skimpy clothing in Hollywood films. The director C.B. DeMille was an upright man, but he also knew that sex sold. So he came up with a solution: Have women wear scanty garb, and engage in louche activities on screen, but make sure

Squirrels are fun to watch as they frolic in the back yard. But they can also be a nuisance. They eat tulip bulbs and dig up newly planted annuals, leaving the small roots dying in the sun. And while we imagine that squirrels live happily in the backyard, well aware that they don’t belong inside, I think they see the house as an extension of their territory. The yard may be loaded with nuts, plants and yes, tulip bulbs, but the house is bound to be full of really exciting goodies. Which, to be

I’m a lifelong atheist, but I mean no disrespect when I ask, “What would Jesus do?” In the 1990s, conservative Christians -- often pointing fingers at Bill Clinton -- made a thing of asking this question in the name of Family Values. Funny, I haven’t heard that question asked lately. I’m certainly no biblical scholar, but my understanding is that Jesus led poor people to believe they are worthy of lives of dignity, and that injustice must be challenged. It was a philosophy not of tribalism, but

Last week my daughter studied the story of the Trojan Horse, where the Greeks trick the Trojans into accepting a gift of a huge wooden horse only to find it’s filled with Greek soldiers. That horse was amazing – a grand gesture the Greeks made after 10 years of grueling war. Yet Julia questioned why anyone would accept this horse. How could the Trojans be so short sighted? Different versions of the myth portray some Trojans questioning the Greeks’ intent. But no one listens. Why don’t we listen

As a kid, one of my chores was delivering water to livestock in the field. I would drive a tractor pulling the water wagon out to a distant pasture. While the water slowly emptied into the field tank in the stillness of the setting sun, I would listen for the distant bobwhite quail in the hedgerows. At one time, most of the Midwestern fields were surrounded with Osage Orange hedgerows. The bramble provided a natural fence as well as an ecosystem that included quail that were drawn to the cover.

Say a friend you haven’t seen in years texts you for money. You may wonder if she’s gambling or using, right? What if it’s a stranger asking for food money? You want to avoid callousness, but don’t want to be a sucker either. Personal desires to feel good about giving can be exploited. Attitudes toward charity have a social history as well. In medieval Europe, monks ran hospitals to heal soul and body, care for weary pilgrims, and minister to the poor. The purpose of post-enlightenment hospitals