Christianity
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Two Voices, Different Moralities and the Choices We Make
What do we mean by “the right and the good?” How should one differentiate between the two? How we answer these questions has broad implications for our lives, whether we are Jewish, Christian, or secular in our values. Continue reading
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Time and Time Again
A Poem On the third day, when morning comesOn the breath of songs birds sing,Three women enter the lower gardenTo cleanse their dead, but discover an empty tomb.The grave is what holds us, not thoseWomen who found the courage to… Continue reading
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Searching with a Lantern
The summer of 1966 was a difficult time for me. In the spring, my father had died suddenly. My mother had decided I should attend Boy Scout camp for a week. In the weeks leading up to it, I had… Continue reading
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Chanukkah and Advent: Dialogue and Hate in the Trumpian Age
Mixing Apples and oranges (or pomegranates). Readers may think I have been doing just that in these reflections on Advent and Chanukkah. Jews and Christians have distinct faiths and teachings. I firmly believe in ecumenical dialogue. Dialogue, to reach an… Continue reading
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Advent and Chanukkah: Lights in the Darkness
A curtain of silence drapes the late autumn and first days of winter. There is a sense of expectation. In the solitude of quiet nights, I find hope and the desire for renewal and deepening of faith in the flickering… Continue reading
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Dilexi Te:The Invisible Among Us
The other evening, my wife arrived home with bags of groceries from the market that we will donate to a food bank for distribution. An act of kindness. A moral imperative. More importantly, an expression of love and faith. And… Continue reading
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The French Alps, Faith, Forgiveness, Hate, and Carl Sandburg
On Sunday, following dinner, I settled in the living room. My wife and I were undecided whether to watch a film or a television show. We recently became hooked on a French detective program, “Le détective de la montagne” (The… Continue reading
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The “Beloved Community”
Donald Trump made two statements on Tuesday, August 19th that should give us pause. The first is a social media post. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was,… Continue reading
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The Old Time Jim Crow Religion Revival Meeting
The decision was made. There was a lesson to be learned. The suitcases were packed, and placed in the car. In the early hours of a July morning, my father backed the car out of the garage. We were going… Continue reading
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The Vulnerable and the Venerable Mystery
What does it mean when someone asks you to pray for them? What does the request say about them and you? Prayer is a topic that we relate to public worship, a liturgy. Our engagement in private and personal prayer… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 