Mark's Blog
Pre-Election Challenge: Holding On and/or Entering a Space
“I had to hold on for dear life.” Most of us have said this at one time or another, accompanied with some degree of breathless panic or abject fear. Many of us can recall situations when we felt that if our grip wasn’t tight enough, we were certain we would fall...
Privilege and the Temptation to Insulate
It was perhaps my most embarrassing experience while serving as a bishop. We were in Canterbury, England in 2008, all 800 of us – bishops from across the world, plus spouses and staff, gathered for a three-week gathering called the Lambeth Conference. It was not...
Race in America: A History of Unmet Expectations
“Expectations are resentments under construction,” wrote author Anne Lamott, a phrase which has been quoted many times and which aptly describes many moments in my life. In recent weeks I have brought my own expectations into various gatherings – some personal, some...
Misinformation: A Misguided Way to Create Safety
“How do we build bridges across political difference when there is so much misinformation and disinformation coming at people which captures their attention? How can we have conversations when facts are denied and false narratives become more commonplace?” This was...
Honoring, But Not Owning, Our Original Blessing
Donald Trump has been blessed, a blessing that began long before an assassination attempt that nearly took his life. Joe Biden has been blessed, long before he made the announcement that he will end his Presidential campaign for President. Kamala Harris has been...
The Dread of the Assassination Attempt
Like many of us, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump sent my mind racing. Who was the shooter? Why did he do it? Was security inadequate? Would former President Trump be OK? What does this mean for the election? For Republicans? For Democrats? For the...
Praying for Biden and Trump
For a good stretch of my early years, prayer was a confounding exercise. My family regularly went to church – where the congregation prayed while I dealt with itching legs from my flannel pants. We said grace before dinner, which invariably became a contest over...
A Debate of Egos; the Need for the Soul
Last week I attended a debate watch party. It was held in the Carthage College chapel in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the first night of the Braver Angels Convention, an annual event that brings equal numbers of red (conservative) and blue (progressive) and yellow...
The Ten Commandments: Laws or Guidelines
Last week the governor of Louisiana signed a law mandating that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms. In some ways I get it, in spite of the fact that like so many it challenges the constitutional separation of church and state. The Ten...