The flourishing of individuals is premised on relationships of mutual care and fidelity that radiate outward. COVID-19 exposes the death of our current order and calls us back to that mutual love, writes Jake Meador.
The Complicated Grief of Advent
Heidi Deddens
One of my favorite Advent hymns is “O Come O Come Emmanuel”—though for much of my life, I must admit, that love stemmed more from the haunting beauty of the melody than the rich meaning of its lyrics. This year, though, the words feel particularly apt. The first verse...
Leadership in Uncertain Times
Ed O'Malley
Uncertainty reigns. The pandemic and associated economic strife define the era. We face collective questions: What do we value most? What is the connection between health and the economy? Personal questions are ever present too. Should I attend the funeral? Should we...
Crisis Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities
David Weekley, Robin Bruce
Anne Snyder: What is the mission of the David Weekley Family Foundation? David Weekley: Our mission revolves around helping the most vulnerable grow and transform into the full human being that they have the capacity to become. Robin Bruce: Yes, we are really...
The Human Conspiracy
Susannah Black
In the late 1990s, the Catholic priest and philosopher of technology Ivan Illich delivered a lecture in Bremen titled “The Cultivation of Conspiracy.” In it, he discussed the ancient Christian practice of conspiratio. This, the holy kiss with which St. Paul told us...
The Skill of Hospitality
L.M. Sacasas
In this reflection on the thought of Ivan Illich, L.M. Sacasas writes that there can be no substitute for the work of rediscovering our common humanity in the practice of hospitality, which, insofar as it flowers into friendship, will be the starting point of politics.
Exodus
Katherine Boyle
When it comes to Silicon Valley, 2020 is not the great reckoning predicted in the book of Revelation, despite the fires, the plagues, and the wailing on Twitter. It is the resignation and determination of Exodus, of a dogged people packing up U-Hauls and fleeing this frontier state to seek an even newer, more eternal world.
In Search of Some Political Humility
Anne Snyder
“Take a breath,” most of us were probably told as kids. “Slow down.” It’s rarely bad advice. In a high-stakes political battle like this week’s presidential election, I found myself grateful for some days of uncertainty, a chance for a hysterical nation to press pause...
Become America
Eric Liu, Michael Gerson
Michael Gerson: Eric, I really enjoyed your timely and important book. One of the most remarkable things about it is its form. I want to start off by asking: Why wrap civic engagement in the form of religion? Eric Liu: First of all, I’m so grateful we’re having this...
Spiritual Practices for Public Leadership
Andy Crouch
Icebergs, famously, have 90 percent of their mass below water. The largest modern cruise ships almost perfectly reverse that ratio, with 88 percent of their height above the waterline. Being a public person—someone who is recognized by people who do not actually know...