What is your favorite verse of holy scripture and why? When I was in junior high, seventh grade to be exact, I was being threatened by a bully: a boy who thought, even then, that threatening a girl was the way to make her like him. He threatened to beat me up if I didn’t “go [...]

This week the Faith in Memphis panel reflects on the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo. I believe all of heaven grieves when we, human beings, use our free will in twisted ways that hurt rather than help and heal. I believe heaven is weeping with those in Aurora. It is my prayer that the God [...]

What accounts for our such low and declining confidence in ‘the church or organized religion’? I believe that there are many reasons. This is a case of a whole generation being raised on Oprah, which, for better or worse, has been a combination of spirituality, psychoanalysis and technology, giving us the false sense of community while [...]

Earle Fisher will note in a guest column this Saturday, “One of the most prevalent and plausible critiques of the faith community is that when it comes to matters of sexual abuse and domestic violence, the church practices ‘sacred silence.’ ” Do you agree? What can we do to provide a safe place for dialogue regarding [...]

Should the federal government be providing breakfast, lunch and supper for school children in poor families? Should the faith community be doing more? In M. Scott Peck’s book, People of the Lie one way evil is defined by one’s ability to compartmentalize life in such a way that we are no longer responsible for our own actions [...]

When someone we know is nearing death, how do we help them die with dignity? How do we help the family navigate the medical desire to preserve life at all cost? How can we prepare to die with dignity? The morning of the day my father died, Monday, November 26th, he announced it as he lay [...]

Why do so many people seem to have so little faith in our teachers? Why do teachers matter? Tell us about a teacher who had a major positive impact on your life or the lives of your children. I come from a long line of educators, men and women, my grandmother, mother, uncles, aunts and family [...]

How can we live responsibly as devout and faithful adherents of one religion in a world (or community) of many religions? I follow the teachings of theologian and mystic Howard Thurman who said, “Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers.” …[Read more]