Praxis

Karl Marx: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.”  (11th Thesis on Feuerbach, and the epitaph on Marx's grave)

Ludwig Wittgenstein: “What is the use of studying philosophy if all that it does for you is to enable you to talk with some plausibility about some abstruse questions of logic, etc., & if it does not improve your thinking about the important questions of everyday life?”  (Letter to Norman Malcolm, November 16, 1944)

Op-Ed Pieces

• “Sex Ed: Abstinence, yes, but also compassion,” Roanoke Times, August 8, 1994, p. A5.  (Is advocating abstinence and offering birth-control education inconsistent?)
• “The courts, Bible, and abortion issue,” Roanoke Times, November 16, 1994, p. A10.  (Looking at actual evidence for whether the Bible opposes abortion.)
• “Call to Renewal: Christians appeal for compassion,” co-authored with Katy Scott, Roanoke Times, April 17, 1996, p. A9. (A report on the February 1996 gathering in Washington DC.)
• “Evolution or not, we are accountable,” Roanoke Times, November 13, 1996, p. A12. (Replying to the idea that if we are descended from apes then we have no higher standing than apes.)  
• “Classroom inclusion in Montgomery County: Balancing the needs of special and regular students,” co-authored with Fred S. Morton IV, Roanoke Times, March 13, 1998, p. A9. (Montgomery County was a leader in "inclusive classrooms" nationally.  This was co-written with the county school superintendent when I was school board chair.  It addresses the challenges and the value of inclusion.)
• “Violent media may have a cathartic role in healthy lives,” Roanoke Times, May 7, 1999, p. A15.  Just recently (2017) this op-ed was referenced and quoted in a discussion of violent video games and music.  
• “Imagine a public school where Jesus is the principal,” Roanoke Times, September 25, 1999, p. A13.  (I just got tired of hearing how things went downhill after we "took God out of the schools."  This is my response.)
• “Finding a new mascot for a new millenium,” Virginia Tech Conductor, insert in Virginia Tech Spectrum, December 1, 2000 issue.
• “Socrates would not have survived the SOLs,” Roanoke Times, February 18, 2001, pp. H1 & H5.
• “A faulty criticism of gay life,” Roanoke Times, July 17, 2002, p. A17.
• “Checking the Status of a Dream: The second part of the message gets whitewashed,” Roanoke Times, January 19, 2003, pp. H1 & H5.  (Politicians across the spectrum honor MLK, at the cost of ignoring his full message.)
• “The Most Segregated Hour in America?” Roanoke Times, NRV Current, April 27, 2003, p. 6. Reprinted in Virginia Tech Conductor, insert in Virginia Tech Spectrum, December 5, 2003 issue.  (I've heard from folks in multi-racial congregations a couple times a year each year since this piece was published.)
• “Me and my books,” Roanoke Times, September 4, 2014, p. A8. 
• “Heritage and hate,” Roanoke Times, October 28, 2015, p. Virginia 9 (also published as “There are better ways to honor heritage,” News Messenger, September 30, 2015, pp. 4-5).
• “A call to state legislators,” Roanoke Times, August 17, 2017, p. Virginia 5. (This was written directly after being in Charlottesville protesting the unite-the-right rally.)
• “Does ‘why?’ matter?” Roanoke Times, November 10, 2017.  
• “The pope’s temptation,” Roanoke Times, December 27, 2017.
• "Should teachers or administrators be armed?" Roanoke Times, May 1, 2018.  
• "The meanings of symbols," Roanoke Times, September 15, 2018.  (This was written at the start of the pro football season.)
• "Everyday walk turns into international feast," Roanoke Times, July 16, 2019. 
• Remarks during Public Comment on “Second Amendment Sanctuary,” before the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, Christiansburg, VA, November 25, 2019. 
• "Trump as wartime leader," Roanoke Times, May 31, 2020.
• "Political ads make local TV hard to watch," Roanoke Times, June 21, 2024.

Sermons

• “Leaving Our Comfort Zones,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, September 24, 2000. (Given on Rally Day--the start of Sunday School in the fall)
• “The Gift of Our Imperfections,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, April 22, 2001.  
• “Martin Luther King, Jr.: Whitewashed?” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, February 3, 2002.  (Given as part of Black History Month, and not long before the US invasion of Afghanistan and then Iraq.) 
• “Turning Wine into Water,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, August 18, 2002.
• “40 Days, 40 Years, 40 Acres (and a mule),” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, March 30, 2003.  (Given during Lent)
• “Conflict and Mediation,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, January 29, 2006.  (I was certified by the Virginia Supreme Court as a mediator for Juvenile and Domestic cases in 2002.  I mediated a number of cases over several years.  These are my reflections on spirituality and being a mediator.  This was later given at other locations in the NRV as well.)
• “While We Run This Race,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, March 29, 2009.  (My reflections on spirituality and running a marathon.)
• “Coming Home,” Sermon at Richfield United Church of Christ, June 27, 2010.  (Originally given near the town where I grew up.)  I had an opportunity to give this sermon again at Asbury United Methodist Church, November 15, 2015 on Lay Sunday.   Here is a video recording of that occasion:

• “Confessing the Blues,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, October 21, 2012.  (My reflections on spirituality and my love for the blues)
• “The Last Seven Words of Christ: Two,” Meditation on Good Friday at Asbury United Methodist Church, April 18, 2014.  
• “Blessings of the Father,” Sermon at Asbury United Methodist Church, June 19, 2016.  (Given on Father's Day.  I had previously given an earlier version of the sermon from notes on Father's Day, June 15, 2003, with my son Nick as the liturgist, just after he had graduated from high school.  On this occasion in 2016, the sermon was given just a week after the Orlando massacre at the gay nightclub.)