For many theologians, the death of Nelson Mandela – who has been a living symbol of peace, justice, and reconciliation – invites reflection on core theological concepts like the imago Dei, which Mandela wore with profound beauty and dignity. For my part, I was first exposed to Nelson Mandela and to South African history during… Read More Inspired by Nelson Mandela
I found myself stuck in the middle seat on a flight from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., laptop open, entranced, reading through Pope Francis’ most recent letter (apostolic exhortation), “The Joy of the Gospel”. As I read the letter, sitting in this uncomfortable seat in the sky, I found myself struck, paragraph by paragraph, by… Read More The Danger of Pope Francis
Over the past few days, I’ve had the opportunity to read through Pope Francis’s first apostolic exhortation Evangelli Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”). The text–which lays out Pope Francis’s vision for the universal Church–has created a lot of stir in the public arena the past week or so, most notably around the Pope’s criticisms… Read More Reflections on Evangelli Gaudium: What Francis Really Wants to Change
“Either we believe in the God of life, or we serve the idols of death”—Oscar Romero In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, November 16, 1989, a group of armed men forced their way into the rectory of the University of Central America in El Salvador. The elite special forces of the Salvadoran military dragged six… Read More Believing in the God of Life or Serving the Idols of Death
EJ Dionne asks, “If you’re a conservative strongly opposed to abortion, shouldn’t you want to give all the help you can to women who want to bring their children into the world? In particular, wouldn’t you hope they’d get the proper medical attention during and after their pregnancy?” One would think that the obvious answer… Read More Pro-life, Anti-Maternity Care? I don’t think so
The little boy who “stole the show” from Pope Francis during his address to families in Vatican Square a little over a week ago has become a worldwide sensation. The child somehow managed to get on stage and wandered right up to the Holy Father during the ceremonies. Despite multiple efforts by aides to shoo… Read More The Audacity of a Child of God
“Does a rake deserve to possess anything of worth, since he chases everything in skirts and then imagines he can successfully hide his shame by slandering [women in general]?” ― Christine de Pizan, Der Sendbrief vom Liebesgott / The Letter of the God of Love This is the song that doesn’t end…a children’s song that plays over… Read More Re-Imagining the City of Ladies: Fighting Back for Women and Girls
Millennial 