You may have heard that television personality and media mogul Oprah Winfrey caused a stir recently when she seemed to dismiss Diana Nyad’s claim that she was an atheist. Nyad, who had recently completed a 53-hour solo swim from Cuba to Florida, appeared on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday program. At point during the interview she said, “I can stand at the beach’s edge with the most devout Christian, Jew, Buddhist, go on down the line, and weep with the beauty of this universe and be moved by all of humanity. All the billions of people who have lived before us, who have loved and hurt and suffered. So to me, my definition of God is...

It’s the midpoint of the semester here at Luther Seminary. Which means it’s been a week of midterms, candidacy interviews for second-year students, approval interviews for seniors, and more. There is, at this point of the semester, often a discernible weariness you can detect on the faces of students and faculty alike. For me, it’s also the midpoint of my regular commute from our new home near Philly to the Twin Cities. Quite frankly, that commute has gone as well as I could possibly have hoped – few delayed flights, just enough time to get work done, and a cleverly arranged schedule (thank you, Office of the Registrar!) that means...

Memory is such a crucial, constitutive, and also consistent element of our everyday lives that we often take it for granted. That is, we regularly count on our memories to guide us through the day, recall tasks we want to accomplish, call to mind the faces and names and stories of those around us, and more, such that we hardly give it a thought. Until, that is, we can’t remember…a phone number or appointment or name or fact. And then we get nervous, but usually only briefly. It’s as if the momentary lapse pierces the illusion we regularly hold that our memories are intact and flawless, but also as if that illusion is so important we...

I love movies. I love the way I get swept up into their grand stories and often – especially after a particularly good move – think a little differently because of them. And so I’ve decided to try to write once a month about one movie and what it suggests to me about our life of faith in the world. And, if I can remember to do it, I’ll try to post these reflections on the fourth Friday of the month. Why? No particular reason except that then I can call it the Fourth Friday Film Forum. (Corny, I know, but the preacher in me loves alliterations when I can find them. 🙂 ) So the film I want to talk about is Prometheus, released in the...

The conclusion of the third season of HBO’s adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s sprawling fantasy A Game of Thrones is tonight. Of course, those of you who know and love the story already know that, while those of you who don’t probably don’t care. 🙂 Recently, there’s been a minor furor over whether Christians should watch such a violent and racy show. In response, I wrote an article on the Huffington Post suggesting that the way one responds to that question says as much about one’s theology as it does the show. I’ll put the opening paragraphs below and direct you to the article should you want...