March 5, 2025
This reflection on Ash Wednesday juxtaposes the solemnity of receiving ashes with the harsh realities of animal death and decay, evoked by images of animal bodies. It challenges the readers to confront their animal vulnerability. It concludes with a recommended practice that contemplates Carolee Schneemann's Meat Joy.
March 4, 2025
Jessica Riskin's essay, "Turtles All the Way Up," examines free will versus determinism in and through a critical review of Robert Sapolsky's book, *Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will* (2023). She links determinism to Christian theology. The 2024 film *Conclave* parallels this discourse through characters and symbolism, particularly using turtles to represent agency, transformation, and the potential for surprise within material reality.
October 23, 2024
In this essay, I argue that Mary is a figure of the Spirit of God. Matthew defines the Spirit in and through Mary, described in and through a tradition of maternal rebellion and survival. Matthew's Jesus, who is of Mary, of the Spirit, incarnates a non-standard, "feminine" messianism. And we will, too—if we are of Jesus.
September 9, 2024
II am no apologist for monogamy. Yet, most people desire it for themselves. And most people, even those for whom it seems to be working out well, don't seem to love monogamy. I think that is interesting. Most people don't love monogamy, but yet they still believe in it. So, it is worth asking: What promises to make loving monogamy promising? My answer is irony. Irony is the key to loving monogamy. Or so I will argue in this essay.
July 7, 2026
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