I Shouldn’t Have to Feel Guilty

I Shouldn’t Have to Feel Guilty

Over the last two years, I’ve taught a high school class called “Christian Discipleship.” The course description states: “This course is intended to help student reflect on the meaning and implications of justice in their faith lives.” Accordingly, we spend a great...
Ruining the Perfect Day

Ruining the Perfect Day

Autumn in South Dakota is beautiful because it is precarious: summer is beastly hot and winter is brutally cold. Just between is a thin ledge that we and this year’s weather walk. I heard that three years ago, summer ended with a blizzard that killed whole herds of...
Pro-Life Means Pro-Woman

Pro-Life Means Pro-Woman

Two different stories this past week told the same narrative: men abusing their power to use women. The first: Harvey Weinstein, a famous Hollywood mogul brought down by accusations of decades of sexual harassment. The second: Tim Murphy, a Republican pro-life...
What’s in a Statue?

What’s in a Statue?

A few nights ago, a young man was arrested in Chicago for defacing a statue. No, it wasn’t the statue of a Confederate general, or some 19th century Imperialist; it was an Italian sailor. So, it must be Columbus Day, or depending on your state of residence, Indigenous...
Growing Up Undocumented

Growing Up Undocumented

I met my maternal grandfather for the first time when I was 10 years old. He was recently widowed and had come from Mexico to spend some time with my family. I wasn’t sure what to make of this quiet old man at first, and I think my father must have sensed this when he...