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 →
The Trump critic and satirist has also been one of the most thoughtful, funny, and genuinely decent people on television Reposted from Robert Reich May 19, 2026 Friends, Stephen Colbert’s last show is this Thursday evening. CBS refused to renew his contract, and you know exactly why: He mocked and criticized Trump. CBS says it’s... Continue Reading →
Credit: Neal Street Productions/BBC Posted by Michelle Collins on May 12, 2026 via NPR SOME SPOILERS “Sometimes, our new beginnings have been yearned for. We have chosen them. Others lie in wait...” Jennifer Worth’s words (as spoken by Vanessa Redgrave) kick off the season finale. This final episode offers a deeply moving look at what... Continue Reading →
A reflection by the Rev’d Jon Swales [Extracts] Every church has leaders.Every church has a culture.Even if nobody names it,something is shapingthe life of that community. Culture is the feel of a place. It’s how people are treated when nobody is watching. It’s what gets celebrated, what gets ignored, who gets heard, and who slowly... Continue Reading →
A video of her acceptance speech at the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing is here A transcript is below. (Check against delivery.) [Maggie Helwig] This is not my book. This book belongs to a community. I am cognizant that I am in the kind of room which I am not in very often, and... Continue Reading →
Reposted from Aljazeera [Introduction by Sylvia Keesmaat] “This is what creative non-violent resistance looks like: Holding a Freedom school in the face of barbed wire and the hovering threat of violence. One thing that the increasingly tyranny and violence around the world has demonstrated is that those without power know how to band together and... Continue Reading →
Reposted from The Independent Sunday 19 April 2026 NPR (National Public Radio/US) received its largest-ever donation from a living donor this week when billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer gave $80 million to the media organization. Ballmer — a former member of the NPR Foundation's board — told the Wall Street Journal that she poured money into... Continue Reading →
How the first American pope is reclaiming Christian values from the Trump administration By Christopher Lamb at CNN Flying to Algeria at the start of his landmark tour of Africa on Monday, Pope Leo had a choice. He could ignore Donald Trump’s extraordinary overnight social media tirade against him, or he could tackle it head... Continue Reading →
CAC faculty member Brian McLaren reflects on the person of Benedict of Nursia (ca. 480–547) whose world closely resembles ours today. History, it seems, repeats itself. Hopefully Benedict's solution helps us on our way. Long live wisdom. It’s not hard to imagine a world that seems to be falling apart with political division and corruption,... Continue Reading →
By Hankookilbo - Published Apr 13, 2026 Hankook Ilbo, Korea Visitors crowd the Yeongnangho Cherry Blossom Festival around Yeongnangho Lake in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, April 11. Yonhap {Ken Gray - As a child growing up in Victoria on Harlow Drive my street was drenched in pink cherry blossoms every March of April. I have fond... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 