March 1 1999

ARTICLE TOOLS

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God's Loving Justice
God is not weak, He is tender. He is not angry, He is kind, even in His justice. Especially in His justice. Actually, my heart sings that the justice of God is beyond our understanding. Where would any of us be if God were a just God, as we understand and mete out justice? If I depended upon His justice, as I know justice, I'd be cast into outer darkness forever. But, … God is love, God is love.

—Eugenia Price in
Share My Pleasant Stones

Soft Spirituality
Enjoying "spiritual feelings" without "spiritual ideas," of course, is what tacks the foam rubber onto the cross. Spirituality, under the modern template, does not brace one for suffering that leads to inner growth. Instead, it obliterates suffering by providing the musical equivalent of an injection from Dr. Feelgood . …

Genuine spirituality makes demands on us, challenges us to overcome selfishness, to love from the depths of ourselves so that we may establish community with others despite our sinful human condition . …

"Soft spirituality" is now commercializing everything from plainchant to rock anthems to Jesus. This sign of the times is more about shadow than substance. For the spiritual seeker, "soft spirituality" is a mirage, not an oasis. The springs may run with Evian water but there is no real nourishment here, just the illusion of refreshment . …

That such a movement has co-opted the name of spirituality in our pop culture tells us just how hungry we are for the real thing, and how unfed we remain.

—Eugene Kennedy, quoted in
Context (Jan. 1, 1999)

The Word Is Truth Speaking the truth is the most significant political action available to any of us—not voting, but speaking the truth. This view ...