No Kings rally, Illinois State Capitol, Oct. 18, 2025 (screenshot, Debi Edmund). In the past 65 years, I have probably joined, watched and/or covered literally hundreds of rallies, lobby days, demonstrations, political speeches, festivals, street fairs and other outdoor events. Saturday's No Kings rally in front of the Illinois State Capitol was one by far … Continue reading ‘If I am only for myself, what am I?’: No Kings placard raises moral imperative. If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
Trump’s military photo ops in US cities bring back memories of Jim Crow, civil rights movement — but with a twist
Tennessee National Guard at Chinton High School, 1956 (Public domain, PICRYl). An offhand remark on a recent podcast about National Guard members patrolling the streets in Washington, DC, sent me down memory lane. The memories aren't particularly happy, but, in an odd way, they give me hope for our future at a very dark time … Continue reading Trump’s military photo ops in US cities bring back memories of Jim Crow, civil rights movement — but with a twist
You think a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich? Baloney! Here’s reason to hope Anglo-American law can survive Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrOEdcu230 Chris Hayes, 'All In with Chris Hayes,' Aug. 27, 2025, MSNBC. NO Freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be disseised [unlawfully dispossessed] of his Freehold, or Liberties, or free Customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or any other wise destroyed; nor will We not pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful … Continue reading You think a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich? Baloney! Here’s reason to hope Anglo-American law can survive Trump
How does a ‘man of unclean lips’ respond to Trump’s authoritarian bigotry? (spiritual direction notes, August ’25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQcW0SrubUk Ruth Ben-Ghiat on How to Resist Authoritarianism | The Civic Forum | Aug. 15, 2025 Editor’s (admin’s) note: Lightly edited copy, with links added, of my email in advance of this month’s appointment with my spiritual director, giving her a heads-up on what I’ve been journaling about (or, in this case, why I haven't been … Continue reading How does a ‘man of unclean lips’ respond to Trump’s authoritarian bigotry? (spiritual direction notes, August ’25)
David Brooks discusses ‘moral injury’ inflicted by Trump’s cruelty and bullying (notes for spiritual direction, July ’25)
David Brooka on PBS News Hour, March 3, 2025 (quote at 5:40). Screen shot. Editor’s (admin’s) note: A copy of my email, with necessary links and edits, in advance of this month’s appointment with my spiritual director, giving her a heads-up on what I’d been journaling on since our last meeting and, more to the point, … Continue reading David Brooks discusses ‘moral injury’ inflicted by Trump’s cruelty and bullying (notes for spiritual direction, July ’25)
Moral injury and Trump 2.0: Are you on the bus? Off the bus? Or thrown under the bus with Black and brown people?
Google News directory, news items, July 7, 2025, 11:08 a.m (CST). A week after President Trump was re-elected, Psychology Today posted an article to its website noting that the outcome "reflects a moral injury for many -- a psychological wound caused by betrayal of deeply held values." Explained Mary Ann McDonald of Holy Cross College in … Continue reading Moral injury and Trump 2.0: Are you on the bus? Off the bus? Or thrown under the bus with Black and brown people?
Who wins? center-right analysis of trans athlete bans in kids’ sports hits a home run with this weary Democrat
Girls' Softball Game, 2009 (Tequask, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia). Yesterday I'd had it up to the keister with politics, so my heart leapt up when I read JVL's column in The Bulwark. "I know the Republic is falling and we have more pressing concerns," he began. "I know this isn’t important, in the grand scheme … Continue reading Who wins? center-right analysis of trans athlete bans in kids’ sports hits a home run with this weary Democrat
Notes on ‘Illinois Nazis’ in an iconic 1970s comedy, in real life and Gov. Pritzker’s state-of-the-state address (notes for spiritual direction, March 2025)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0 Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director today in advance of our session for March, archived here so I can go back later and see what I was thinking about when I posted it. Taken together, these emails give me a rough benchmark of my spiritual journey. 4:02 PM (6 hours … Continue reading Notes on ‘Illinois Nazis’ in an iconic 1970s comedy, in real life and Gov. Pritzker’s state-of-the-state address (notes for spiritual direction, March 2025)
‘Up against a shark, what can a herring do? Be wise, compromise?’ But with Trump’s wannabe Russian empire? Nyet! (1 of 2)
Classes in Oslo after Nazis closed the schools, 1943 (Nasjonalarkivet CC BY). Editor's (admin's) note. I began this post a couple of weeks ago when President Trump made it clear he was backing fascist Russia against Ukraine and our (former?) NATO allies. I was reminded of a whimsical line from the Broadway production of Sound … Continue reading ‘Up against a shark, what can a herring do? Be wise, compromise?’ But with Trump’s wannabe Russian empire? Nyet! (1 of 2)
Of Trump’s ‘Gulf of America,’ twilight years, Comrade Gromyko’s rubber donkey and the moral purpose of satire
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GdE4_nbxcw8 Desi Lydic, 'Donald Trump is holding up a mirror to the American people' (The Daily Show). “Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that so very few are offended … Continue reading Of Trump’s ‘Gulf of America,’ twilight years, Comrade Gromyko’s rubber donkey and the moral purpose of satire
Spiritual journal, Feb. 2025: Uff da! Trump’s ‘efficiency’ experts are going after the Lutherans now; bishops respond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liqz0VdZG1E Bishop Eaton: 'Our call to love our neighbors as ourselves remains steadfast.' Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director today in advance of our session for February, archived here so I can go back later and see what I was thinking about when I posted it. Taken together, these … Continue reading Spiritual journal, Feb. 2025: Uff da! Trump’s ‘efficiency’ experts are going after the Lutherans now; bishops respond
How do you react to abuse without becoming a hater yourself? A ‘nasty’ Episcopal bishop gives us a role model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNfrbAztlcs What these paradoxes of opposites are all about is a phenomenology in which it is part of the very nature of passionate conflict to turn one into his own enemy. “We become what we hate” is an old yoga maxim. And in watching the conflict of the Irish Troubles, the Dublin yogi, George William … Continue reading How do you react to abuse without becoming a hater yourself? A ‘nasty’ Episcopal bishop gives us a role model
‘We all have to step up’: A Christian scholar’s New Year’s resolve to fight back as Trump 2.0 threatens people of faith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9zLuXn8ws Kristin DuMez at Dayspring United Methodist Church, Oct. 21, 2014 (Good Faith Media). Normally I'm not very big on New Year's resolutions. I don't know I won't get hit by a bus tomorrow, and I don't have the attention span to follow through on them anyway. But after reading a Substack piece by Kristin … Continue reading ‘We all have to step up’: A Christian scholar’s New Year’s resolve to fight back as Trump 2.0 threatens people of faith
‘We’ve been here before’: A voice of Black lived experience as an openly racist administration prepares to take power
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONN0BkwMF1g Mavis Staples, 'I'll Be Bested" (video by YouTube user biamaku, March 25 2012). Debi and I belong to a group affiliated with the Dominican sisters known as the Associates' Anti-Racism Committee (AARC for short). It's an offshoot of SDART (pronounced "ess-dart," an acronym for the Springfield Dominican Anti-Racism Team), an initiative that's succeeded in … Continue reading ‘We’ve been here before’: A voice of Black lived experience as an openly racist administration prepares to take power
Is the world about to turn? Seeking a ‘sustainable approach to living ethically’ in a dark Advent season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hPDrkqZGWE Kat Moore, 'Canticle of the Turning' (katherinemoore77 2014). Most of us can't give full-time attention to the brokenness of our national politics, but nor can we tune it out. How do we identify a sustainable approach to living ethically in these difficult times? -- "What Now?" [editorial], Christian Century, Jan. 2025. Advent and Christmas … Continue reading Is the world about to turn? Seeking a ‘sustainable approach to living ethically’ in a dark Advent season
‘Illegitimi non carborundum’: How Dr. Fauci’s Jesuit formation guided him through the fury of the pandemic
Dr. Fauci briefing officials at NIH, Bethesda, Md., 2021 (Wikimedia Commons). One of the saddest commentaries on the incoming Trump 2.0 regime came in a columm by Jonathan Martin , Politico's senior political columnist. In it, he included Dr. Anthony Fauci among several current and former "officials who’ve angered Trump and his loyalists" and, according … Continue reading ‘Illegitimi non carborundum’: How Dr. Fauci’s Jesuit formation guided him through the fury of the pandemic
‘A reality where there is no we’: Social justice and the common good after a bitter election: Spiritual journal, November
Demonstrators in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021 (*Photo: Gregory Starrett, CC BY-ND). Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director today in advance of our session for November. I’ve been writing these for several years now, primarily in order to help me focus my mind before we talk. It’s not a record or an … Continue reading ‘A reality where there is no we’: Social justice and the common good after a bitter election: Spiritual journal, November
Hegseth’s Crusader tattoos: White supremacist dog whistles or ‘spiritual kitsch?’ Or a bit of both?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4ZNi-VEmu4 Jerusalem cross on a Franciscan flag, Christian Media Center, Jerusalem. If Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's designee for Secretary of Defense, knows what he's talking about, I'm beginning to worry that I might be wearing an alt-right hate group's insignia around my neck. It's an inexpensive little Jerusalem cross I bought at a gift shop … Continue reading Hegseth’s Crusader tattoos: White supremacist dog whistles or ‘spiritual kitsch?’ Or a bit of both?
Is Trump a wannabe theocrat? It’s complicated. How should people of faith react? That’s complicated, too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4HrySysWAo Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Nov. 6, 2024 Standing in front of a tapestry at her office the day after President-elect Trump won the 2024 election, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton videotaped a somber, nuanced message. Presiding bishop of my church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Eaton doesn't always speak for me on all issues. … Continue reading Is Trump a wannabe theocrat? It’s complicated. How should people of faith react? That’s complicated, too
Trump and the prophetic vision of Elijah, an Old Testament scholar, a center-right political pundit and a Chicago ward boss
'Elijah in the Desert,' Agustín Salinas Teruel, 1885 (Wikimedia Commons). 1 Kings 19 (NRSVue): 4 But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than … Continue reading Trump and the prophetic vision of Elijah, an Old Testament scholar, a center-right political pundit and a Chicago ward boss
Jesuit spirituality as a antidote to desolation in the aftermath of a lost election in a dying empire
Thomas Cole, 'The Course of Empire: Desolation,' 1836 (Wikimedia Commons). Even before Pennsylvania was called for Trump, I shut off the internet Tuesday night and went to bed with a good book. The news was too much to bear. By coincidence, Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization had come in the mail that afternoon. … Continue reading Jesuit spirituality as a antidote to desolation in the aftermath of a lost election in a dying empire
Jonah, he’s my man: A reflection on politics, polarization and Ninevah, that great city whose people don’t know their right hand from their left (Sundays@6 journal 6)
Jona onder de wonderboom, Amsterdam, 1643 (Wikimedia Commons). Welp, it looks like this is my lucky week. I've struggled at times with a book we've been reading for Sundays@6, the adult faith formation that that Debi and I facilitate for our Lutheran parish church. But this week we're reading a chapter that invokes my favorite … Continue reading Jonah, he’s my man: A reflection on politics, polarization and Ninevah, that great city whose people don’t know their right hand from their left (Sundays@6 journal 6)
Of politics, algorithms, Krazy Kat, social media brickbats and the hope of redemption (Sundays@6 journal 5)
Krazy Kat1 (CC-BY-SA. Public Domain Super Heroes). As we get deeper into The After Party by Gordon Chang and Nancy French2 for Sundays@6, our autumn parish book study, I'm beginning to see how some of the main concepts fit together. Either their curriculum -- for evangelical Protestant congregations split by political hot-button issues -- is … Continue reading Of politics, algorithms, Krazy Kat, social media brickbats and the hope of redemption (Sundays@6 journal 5)
Can remembering a hasty, angry, partisan vote help me find concord in pre-election snitstorms? (Sundays@6 journal 4)
Illinois Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka (R) and President Bush, 2006 (Wikimedia Commons). Among the reflection questions in The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics by Curtis Chang and Nancy French is this: "Identify a story in your life when you finally discovered you were wrong about something important. The story doesn't have to be about something … Continue reading Can remembering a hasty, angry, partisan vote help me find concord in pre-election snitstorms? (Sundays@6 journal 4)
An exhasted, cynical wannabe ‘disciple’ finds hope (and marching orders?) in Jesus, Micah and Rabbi Tarfon of 1st-century Yavneh (Sundays@6, journal 3)
Headlines in Times of Israel, Oct. 2, 2024, 6:16am (CDT). The morning headlines couldn't have been much worse. The Middle East is sliding into all-out war, and it looks the US is about to be dragged into it by a president too old and stubborn to realize his policy toward Israel has failed. In the … Continue reading An exhasted, cynical wannabe ‘disciple’ finds hope (and marching orders?) in Jesus, Micah and Rabbi Tarfon of 1st-century Yavneh (Sundays@6, journal 3)
Building community at an imaginary dinner party: Jesus’ disciples, partisan politics and the kingdom of God (Sundays@6 ‘After Party’ journal 2)
Jacopo Bassano, Last Supper, 1542, Galleria Borghese, Rome (Wikimedia Commons). Next week's session of Sundays@6, an online parish book study group Debi and I facilitate, will take up the first chapter of The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics, by Curtis Chang and Nancy French; it's an interactive group study curriculum for mostly evangelical Protestant … Continue reading Building community at an imaginary dinner party: Jesus’ disciples, partisan politics and the kingdom of God (Sundays@6 ‘After Party’ journal 2)
‘The After Party’: Can hope and humility bridge the gaps created in a toxic election year? (journaling exercise for Sundays@6)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T00t5aGe4FA Overview of 'After Party.' Curtis Chang pictured. (Redeeming Babel). Correction (Oct. 2). In the process of getting ready for our third session, on Oct. 6, I reviewed the Hope/Humility Conversation Starter mentioned below. I was right when I suspected I'd added up my scores incorrectly and I didn't really belong in the "Disciples" category. … Continue reading ‘The After Party’: Can hope and humility bridge the gaps created in a toxic election year? (journaling exercise for Sundays@6)
How is the Holy Spirit like the wind? the breath of God? a wild goose? Notes for spiritual direction, September 2024
Lightly edited copy of an email I sent to my spiritual director today in advance of our session for September. I’ve been writing these for several years now, primarily in order to help me focus my mind before we talk. It’s not a record or an agenda of our sessions. (Often enough, we start discussing something … Continue reading How is the Holy Spirit like the wind? the breath of God? a wild goose? Notes for spiritual direction, September 2024
Warnock’s inclusive, almost pastoral convention speech calls Democrats to work for peace and justice, to ‘heal the land’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JznC5vZnGOQ&t=597s Sen. Warnock's 'altar call' begins at 12:00 (PBS NewsHour), Aug. 19, 2024. For a long time I've been saying the only thing that can lift us up out of our spiritual crisis in America is the transformative witness of the Black church. We had a vivid foretaste of what that might look like Monday … Continue reading Warnock’s inclusive, almost pastoral convention speech calls Democrats to work for peace and justice, to ‘heal the land’
‘Minnesota Lutheran’ candidate Walz does unspeakable things with green beans and Tater Tots in church basement casseroles
Screen shot, Gov. Walz' Facebook feed, Aug. 9, 2024. One thing you can say about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats' new vice presidential candidate: He didn't fall out of a coconut tree. You have to be quintessentially Midwestern to share a recipe for hotdish, a church basement potluck staple the rest of the country … Continue reading ‘Minnesota Lutheran’ candidate Walz does unspeakable things with green beans and Tater Tots in church basement casseroles
Finding a sliver of hope in Trump’s porn star hush money verdict, Magna Carta and a 13th-century Latin pun: ‘Where there is no law (lex) there is no king (rex)’
Quotation from my PhD dissertation, UT-Knoxville, March 1975. A moment I've been anticipating for nearly a decade arrived today. Not only that, it also reaffirmed a faith I've had for 50 years. The moment came about 3:30 p.m. (CDT) when a criminal court jury in New York City convicted ex-President Donald Trump on 34 counts of … Continue reading Finding a sliver of hope in Trump’s porn star hush money verdict, Magna Carta and a 13th-century Latin pun: ‘Where there is no law (lex) there is no king (rex)’
How a Swedish Lutheran theologian’s response to the Holocaust guides my attitude to performative ‘anti-antisemitism’ in an election year
'[...] Christians have a responsbility.' - Krister Stendahl (Wikimedia Commons). Yahoo! News, or its algorithms, served up a twofer on antisemitism this morning. No, make that a three-fer! As I was scrolling through ithe Yahoo! directory Tueday morning, I came across this headline, "How Weaponizing Antisemitism Puts Jews at Risk," over an op ed piece … Continue reading How a Swedish Lutheran theologian’s response to the Holocaust guides my attitude to performative ‘anti-antisemitism’ in an election year
A reminder, without mentioning Trump’s name, that Hitler won Germany’s last free election with 37.4 percent of the vote
David Lee Preston, Twitter (now "X"), Dec. 7, 2015 Comes now Adam Gopnik of the New Yorker and gives powerful evidence it's time to start taking the comparisons of ex-President Donald Trump and Hitler more seriously, Godwin's Law notwithstanding. Godwin's Law, similar to a logical fallacy known as the Reductio ad Hitlerum, holds that sooner … Continue reading A reminder, without mentioning Trump’s name, that Hitler won Germany’s last free election with 37.4 percent of the vote
Lots of performative anti-antisemitism at House GOP hearing, but little substance on surge in antisemitism, Islamophobia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcczLSlUDAM&t=387s Rep. Foxx says students call for 'infada-, infina-, uh, for genocide' (HCEW). STEFANIK (played by Chloe Troast). So, Penn lady, will you say you are anti-anti-anti-anti-antisemitic? MAGILL (played by Heidi Gardner). Can you tell me how many 'anti's' that was? STEFANIK. I will not. MAGILL. You're asking us questions that seem very unfair. STEFANIK. Oh (giggles), thank … Continue reading Lots of performative anti-antisemitism at House GOP hearing, but little substance on surge in antisemitism, Islamophobia
‘Ramadan Mubarak’ — greeting the Muslim holy month on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmE0lRi43qs So this happened Thursday, and it's one more reason -- call it the 100,000,001st (but who's counting?) -- reason why I love Illinois. At sundown on the floor of the state House of Representatives, two Chicago-area freshman legislators rose to points of personal privilege to welcome the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and invite … Continue reading ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ — greeting the Muslim holy month on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives
Links to chicken soup recipes; with reminiscences of a soup-and-sandwich restaurant that’s long been part of the Springfield culinary (and political) scene
Elected official from Chicago (center left) drops by the Feed Store in 2016 (Facebook). My latest quest for new chicken soup recipes started, like so many other good things in my life, with a Facebook thread. This one ranged over ethnic recipes, starting with an original post about making chicken noodle soup, with kluski noodles … Continue reading Links to chicken soup recipes; with reminiscences of a soup-and-sandwich restaurant that’s long been part of the Springfield culinary (and political) scene
Ordinary Time 