by Mark Beckwith | Oct 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
I am feeling emotionally and spiritually raw. Most people I have talked with this past week say they are afflicted with a dispiriting malaise. As the images, stories, options and opinions regarding Israel and Gaza flood various media spaces, my psyche bounces...
by Mark Beckwith | Oct 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
The data suggests that the fastest growing religious group in the United States today are “nones”, which refer to the growing number of people who reply “none” when asked of their religious affiliation. Into this expanding vacuum is an attitude and a practice that...
by Mark Beckwith | Oct 3, 2023 | Uncategorized
“I hope you burn in Hell.” I have read this condemnation several times over the past few weeks, the vitriol coming from someone who is incensed over someone else’s position or action. Over the years I have heard it said directly, not at me, but at a close friend...
by Mark Beckwith | Sep 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
“There are two kinds of movements: those which seek converts, and those which hunt heretics.” I read these words in a recent op-ed by David French, a more conservative opinion writer for the New York Times, quoting his more progressive colleague, Michelle...
by Mark Beckwith | Sep 20, 2023 | Uncategorized
People often tell me, with some commitment and considerable pride, that they are spiritual. That they have moments— on a mountain or at the seashore, or have created spaces in their lives, where they feel a deep connection with the world, each other — and a divine...
by Mark Beckwith | Sep 14, 2023 | Uncategorized
I was profoundly irritated, the intensity of which surprised me. I was watching the semi-final US Open match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova. I was relaxed and enjoying their skill and passion, and silently hoping that some of the former might rub off on...