An open letter to Franklin Graham (son of the late Billy Graham) from Dan Hawk, Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Ashland Theological Seminary.[Dan Hawk] I write in response to your video message at the recent Rededicate 250 event, and specifically to your use of the Bible to reinforce Right-Wing political talking points.You begin... Continue Reading →
Falling in love with the womb of the world, again
The Road to Santa Marta, by Emile Theresa Smith - Mad Love for the World Daniel Maestre invites me to sit across from him beneath a giant mango tree. The wide branches above shade the whole area beside the kankurua, the sacred house. Three months ago, arsonists destroyed the original kankurua. The new house is... Continue Reading →
Houston, we have a problem
[Ken Gray] This past week has been a horror show of personal technological challenges. I am normally pretty good at solving glitches, at creating digital workarounds, at reaching out to support systems when necessary. This past week, however, was different. In preparing for a funeral I needed to edit a Youtube video. Easy-peasy I thought.... Continue Reading →
Not my usual Sunday Sermon
I am away from church today, a rare space of rest from preaching and presiding. On such days I have more time to read and write. I am currently reading "East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"" by Philippe Sands. It is a memoir and history of the origins of... Continue Reading →
Men on the moon, plus Caroline Leavitt โ A fantasy
[Ken Gray] For the record, I do not support human travel to the moon. I think itโs a waste of time and money. Sure, people enjoy what my generation witnessed in 1968-9 as the Apollo Program proved we had the technology and the expertise to land on the moon โ and we did it โ... Continue Reading →
โVoice of the cathedralโ: B.C. church restoring one of Canadaโs largest organs
Organist Mark McDonald stands below Christ Church Cathedralโs organ, Canadaโs largest pipe organ west of the Rockies. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News) Published 9:00 am Wednesday, May 27, 2026 by Olivier Laurin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once called the pipe organ โthe king of instruments.โ Considered by many to be a marvel of music and engineering, the pipe... Continue Reading →
So where should we sit when attending a Blue Jays game in July?
[Ken Gray] As son, Cameron and I have tickets for a Jays game in Toronto in late July, I have all sorts of fears. For one thing, they are playing the Tampa Bay Rays with whom they are frequently on the losing end. The experience of a win in the Rogers Centre is a huge... Continue Reading →
โWater is lifeโ: Syilx Okanagan Nation declares watershed emergency
Reposted from Castanet Snowpack levels in the Okanagan and surrounding regions are catastrophically low this year, which has led to wide-ranging concerns over drought and the health of local watersheds. On Wednesday, the Syilx Okanagan Nation formally declared a watershed emergency across the Okanagan, Nicola, Similkameen, Kettle, Salmon and Bessette watersheds. The Nation says itโs... Continue Reading →
I haven’t done my own work on this yet – I am curious, and very hopeful
Christopher Lamb on CNN Pope Leo XIV says control of artificial intelligence must not remain in the hands โof a fewโ while warning that technology is fueling world conflicts, setting out his proposals in the first major theological document of his pontificate. These include protecting the distinctive โgrandeur of humanityโ amid rapidly changing technology and... Continue Reading →
Lyndon Johnson and Heather Cox Richardson — A great vision of a good country
Reposted from Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson on Substack. An audio version can be accessed here. [Heather Cox Richardson] On May 22, 1964, in a graduation speech at the University of Michigan, President Lyndon Johnson put a name to a new vision for the United States. He called it โthe Great Societyโ... Continue Reading →