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Abraham Heschel said that, at their core, prophets disclose divine pathos.[1] That is to say, to be a prophet isn’t (primarily) to pronounce oracles, or to pass judgement, or to perform miracles, or to guide institutions, or to articulate commandments. To be a prophet is to help us understand how God feels. True prophe
Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Coltrane. I’ve written about Coltrane before, fortunately, because I don’t really have time to do him justice today. But I nonetheless want to post, not just to mark this anniversary, but because he has something important to teach us about our relationship with the D
In my estimation, the letter and the underlying positions that supposedly informed it are conspicuously lacking three important things: women signatories, intellectual consistency, and courage.
Yesterday, I saw some chatter on social media that the Area Presidency had instructed the leaders of Idaho wards, stakes, and branches to read a letter to their congregations over the next two Sundays, urging members to oppose the Idaho Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act. After some searching, I found what purported
I’m mindful that I am now the second male from BCC to post about this topic in as many days. I realize that (no matter the situation) I will never have to personally make a choice about whether or not I will have an abortion. And, so, I come to this issue as an outsider. […]
On the dais of American Gnostics alongside Joseph Smith and Henry David Thoreau stands the jazz musician Herman “Sonny” Poole Blount (1914-1993), aka Sun Ra, whose music is inseparable from a series of mystical encounters he claimed as a young man. Here is a brief account of his first vision.
In August 2001, I flew across the country, San Diego to JFK, and for the third time in my life was in New York City.1 This time, I was there for at least the three years of law school. Then, about a month later, 25 years ago today, I woke up, opened my computer, and […]
I recently read Christine Emba’s Rethinking Sex: A Provocation. It’s central proposition is one that I think has an awful lot of merit: while our new emphasis on consent is good, it is also insufficient. Her argument is reinforced through reflection on her own experience and what seem to be informal conversations with
Taking a break from our usual deep thoughts, let’s laugh a little at ourselves. Which kind of Mo are you? The GoMo? The FoeMo? The NoMo? Something not listed? Enjoy a little good-natured ribbing at our expense: GoMo – The Go Mormon Catch phrase: “Go Forth to Serve” Favorite Calling: Full-time Missionary Favorite Mormon
Well, I went to church with the new schedule. Here are some impressions from my experience today. Leadership: Leadership was very aware of the schedule and, to their credit, did their best to honor it. For instance, today the person conducting Sacrament Meeting was very clear at the outset that we needed to end testimo
Honestly, I thought my last post about James Huntsman losing his suit would be the last time I wrote about this. It turns out I was wrong. Yesterday, the Tenth Circuit dismissed yet another suit alleging that the Church had fraudulently induced members to pay tithing. But before we get to the court’s decision (which […
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