In these times of waning church influence and growing hostility, the church needs to do better. — Several years ago, the Centre for Public Christianity was part of a debate on whether the world would be better off without religion. Three atheists debated three religious scholars. At the end of the debate, the audience voted overwhelmingly that the world would be better off if religion and the…

Normally a shy child, I was not shy when I blurted, “Can you kiss me, Mr. Voss?” — We had an upstairs that wasn’t being used, so when I was three or four years old, my mother decided to take in boarders. My father must have been okay with it, or at least he didn’t object, but it was mother who made it happen. She cleaned, remodeled and…

We are wired to need people and a purpose, no matter how old we are — School is out next week, so this afternoon I attended my last mentoring session with a seventh-grade boy named Mohammed. I signed up last year to be a mentor, despite my doubts. Some of my excuses were, “I’m not good with teenagers. My mentee might not like me. Middle school…

Preventing and treating UTIs with D-Mannose helped me avoid surgery — I began to dread waking up, afraid my first morning trip to the bathroom would bring the burning pain that signaled another UTI. My urologist (I’ll refer to him as Dr. Two) had prescribed prophylactic antibiotics two years earlier, but now my UTIs were antibiotic resistant. Dr. Two’s next recommendation…

Do vegans have the moral authority to criticize meat eaters? — Last week, I attended a Women’s Club luncheon at a local restaurant. The woman sitting across from me, who was in her seventies, ordered a cheeseburger. When the waitress brought our food, the woman looked up sheepishly and said, “My children blast me all the time about eating meat. They…

Americans agonize over gun violence, capitalism and racism, while people from other countries surge across our border — When I worked at a nonprofit, we provided financial assistance, food, and clothing to people in need. We also offered GED, English language, and financial classes. We served around 125 families a day, and we never turned anyone away based on whether they were in the country legally or illegally…

If we continue to choose unrestrained freedom at all costs, even at the expense of safety, we might find ourselves losing the freedoms we cherish. — In both Switzerland and the United States, gun ownership is widespread and deeply entrenched in the culture. The National Rifle Association has pointed to Switzerland as an example of gun ownership without gun violence. But there are major differences. Switzerland, despite a long tradition of gun ownership, has strict laws…

As long as we’re talking about shoving logs on a truck — My husband, who lost 50 pounds, was walking with me yesterday when he said, “Some of the men in my men’s group have really packed on the pounds.” “It happens,” I said. “Men eat like growing teenage boys, only they aren’t growing and they aren’t teenagers.” I had noticed the…

Tipping in America began with slavery and has continued as standard practice. But what happens when it gets out of hand? — I went to the florist this morning to buy a single rose. Flowers are less expensive in grocery stores and flower markets, but I was told to buy the rose from this particular florist. I volunteer with a women’s club that delivers a yellow rose to women in the group…