Culture

Finding Hope in These Trying Times 10
- Religion, Culture
- December 5, 2022
It was Election Day, and I was working in the DL Campus Coffee Shop, a church-affiliated establishment on Front Royal’s Main Street. A confession: I don’t write in this café because of its Jesus posters and religious music but because it’s quiet, the staff is pleasant, and patrons generally avoid bellowing into their phones as
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What’s Missing From the Abortion Conversation 11
- Politics, Culture
- December 5, 2022
The woman on the phone was crying. She had told friends about her miscarriage, and they had rushed to offer support. Unfortunately, that only made her feel more isolated, she said, because her friends said things like “I’m so sorry this happened to you” – phrases that each time reminded her that she had lied.
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Reviving the Church: How to Get Young People in the Pews 15
- Religion, Culture
- December 2, 2022
Only 54 percent of Christians aged 18–35 attend church once a month or more. Meanwhile, Christianity is rapidly declining in the American population, especially in the younger generations. The secularization of society is evident wherever we turn, and it will only worsen as young people continue to turn away from Christianity. To survive, the church
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Why Fairy Tales Aren’t Just for Kids 9
- Culture, Literature
- November 29, 2022
“Children must hear nothing but the vital truth, so far as we can give it [to] them,” G.K. Chesterton wrote over a century ago. “I say the vital truth: it is found mostly in fairy-tales…” Recently, I watched two movies back-to-back: Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella (2015) and Jon Turteltaub’s romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping (1995).
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Leaving a Legacy Through Simplicity 15
- Culture, Philosophy
- November 25, 2022
A few weeks ago, I came across a story in The Washington Post about a young woman, Rosie Grant, who scours graveyards across the country looking for recipes to make. Recipes in a graveyard? Yes, it does sound weird, but Grant was intrigued upon hearing the concept. The first gravestone recipe she came across was featured on Naomi
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This Thanksgiving, Let’s Set a Place for Gladness 3
- Culture, Family
- November 23, 2022
About 18 months ago, I was reading for review Rachel Hollis’s self-help book Didn’t See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart. At one point, Hollis is talking to her friend Greg and apologizes for sounding “a bit like Pollyanna.” Greg asks if she’s read Pollyanna. When Hollis says no, Greg
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